As I sat down to write this morning, I opened my laptop and immediately got a message and a little picture of a low battery with minimal juice. The message said, “Low Battery. Your Mac will sleep soon unless plugged into a power outlet.” Ha. Funny! That’s how I feel somedays. Somebody plug me in, quick!
There are days when I wish I could actually connect myself to a Tesla Supercharger station and fill up my much depleted tank of energy. No amount of perfectly brewed Americanos made by those heavenly angels sent to Earth from God, (a.k.a. Starbucks baristas) can give me the kick I often need to keep going. Life is draining! Can I get an AMEN?!
It seems that these days, we are being called to wear a lot of different hats. If you’re a mom, you may be working from home, all while being “teacher” to your homeschooled children, chef to your family preparing three square meals everyday, dog walker, house cleaner, family taxi driver, community volunteer, and the list goes on.
There are nights when I literally fall in my bed, attempt to read a chapter in a book, but have absolutely NO IDEA what I just read. My eyes are crossing and my brain feels like the fuzz I’m finding in the corners of my house because I can’t keep up with it all. “Low Battery. Your body will sleep soon unless plugged into a power outlet.” Totally me.
Yes, a good night’s sleep always helps and if you’re lucky enough to get that, it’s possible that you can wake up feeling a bit recharged and ready to tackle your day. Physically, and maybe mentally, you’re running on most cylinders, but emotionally are you still feeling depleted? And as the day goes on are you falling back into that pattern of feeling completely worn out and exhausted by the grind?
Maybe you need to plug into a true power source that will give you the internal juice to keep you going each day. For example, someone who works all day and uses a laptop, and wants to be efficient with their time, makes sure their computer is fully charged first thing in the morning. That’s what we should do too! Yes, coffee is always helpful, but that’s not what I mean.
Are you plugging into your life source every morning before you start your day? I set aside 20-30 minutes every morning for time with the Lord. If you only have 15 minutes, then take that! I literally put this time on my schedule, and it’s a non-negotiable for me. I get up before the kids are awake, and I sit in the same comfy chair with my cup of tea, and I get still. I quiet my mind and ask God to show me what He has for me today. Next, I get out whatever devotional book I’m working through, (my favorite is Jesus Calling by Sarah Young) and then I open my Bible.
Some mornings I just read where I left off. Currently, I’m reading straight through the New Testament. Other mornings I may have a verse that jumps out at me in my devotional so I decide to do a deep dive into that verse and I meditate on that alone.
Lastly, and before I jump up to get the girls’ cereal ready and grapefruits cut, I ask Him to go before me and order my day. Yes, ORDER MY DAY. You heard that right. Coming from the queen of To-Do lists I have learned to hold those lists lightly. I make them, but then I release my grip on them and ask God to show me what His priorities are for me over the next 24 hours.
I keep this conversation going throughout the day and even when the phone rings, I say a quick prayer. “Lord, do you want me to answer that right now, or should I let the caller leave a message, and I call them back at a time that’s better.”
The cool thing about all of this is it gives me energy. Am I still tired at the end of the day? Of course! But do I feel like I’ve been thrown on a Tilt-A-Whirl, run over by a truck, and had my brains whipped with an egg beater? Nope.
Jeremiah 16:7 says “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out it’s roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
John 4:14 says, “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
Jesus’ living water is the power source that we all have the freedom to plug into on a daily basis. Let Him energize you and fill you with a power that will never fade. One that produces beautiful fruit. Plant your roots deep in those living streams and I promise you, you will feel refreshed.
