Last week was busy, and I went into the weekend tired. Then we had unplanned company for Sunday lunch, and again for Sunday supper, and also for Monday breakfast. We had a great time of fellowship with all our different guests…from chopping vegetables, singing hymns, and wandering around our yard eating plums, to playing scrub baseball, swimming, and discussing the theological implications of quantum mechanics.
It always gives me such joy to meet godly young people, and there’s something especially invigorating about talking with them. But afterwards I was tired, very tired. And it took me two days to get my energy back. That is not good.
I had not managed my energy well, and was not able to meet my obligations to my family graciously and lovingly.
And here’s the point: sometimes energy is our most precious resource, and we must learn when to spend it, when to replenish it, and even when to say, “Lord, if you want me to do this you’ll have to give me extra energy, because I’ve run out.”
And therefore we must know our priorities (What has God called us to do?) as well as our limits (Who has God made us to be?).
Managing our energy is not as simple as making a list and planning our days, although that is important. If we have low energy reserves, managing this resource also involves making wise rules for ourselves: sensible bedtimes, good food, adequate water, exercise, regular Bible reading, prayer, enough down time….
And we must know, from the Bible, how to respond to situations. God has called us to be hospitable. When he places people on our path, He expects us to remember that. But He has made us human, not divine, with very human limitations; sometimes we cannot do what we think we should.
And that’s just the point. “Sometimes,” pointed out my godly friend who constantly ministers to people in hopeless circumstances, “you absolutely cannot do it.”
And this is not sin; it’s just accepting that not everything is our responsibility. After all, we are not God…and sometimes we forget that.
May God bless you as you try to balance service with a humble acceptance of your limitations.
For more inspiration of all kinds, please visit {Titus 2}sdays, Works for Me Wednesday, and Women Living Well.
Brilliant! I agree, energy can CERTAINLY be our most precious resource, and we all only have 24 hours in a day. Best wishes, thanks for writing this!
visiting from WLW
You’re very welcome. I hope this will help you spend your energy wisely.
Annie Kate
Great post. I have been thinking about this all week. We are getting ready to go into the school season, and I’m not quite sure how I’m going to get it all done. I am not a high energy person to start with, so this is big for me. Thanks for the tips.
Yes, starting school again is the big challenge. I have to realized that I cannot do it all, and am not required to. And the same goes for my kids.
Annie Kate
Such encouraging words to remember. 🙂
Oh, I am sorry to hear you got out of balance. But at least you are wise and know how to remedy this.
Thank you so much for this, AnnieKate. I’m rather “full of beans” right now as I’m not expecting a baby and our current baby (age 9 months) is letting me sleep through the night. So I’m doing more than I did a year ago, FOR SURE. But I still have limited energy, limited time, and limited mental capacity. Like you, I have to think often about how to “spend” what I have.