Pacing. Not my strength. I had filled my plate of commitments to overflowing this semester and I am spent. I’m the puppy that plays full tilt then collapses in a heap on the floor. 

I need to recharge.

Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Spiritually. 

I wish I could recharge quickly. I ended the spring semester on Weds. The summer session starts today. Sigh. Always a tough transition. Some of you may feel the same. May, with its end-of-school activities, can cause as much stress for us moms as Christmas. Then, boom, school’s out.  The crew comes home (Yay!) and all your me-time goes out the window (Yikes!). 

Truthfully, everyone needs to recharge at some point. Many kids keep an insane schedule of extra-curricular activities and work demands on parents do anything but taper.

Here’s my plan, at least temporarily:

Rest: Sleep. More of it. Sleep in a little. Cat nap in the afternoon. Fewer workouts. The dog can get his walk on the treadmill for a few days. 

In 1 Kings 19:5-6, the prophet Elijah had reached such a point of exhaustion, he became suicidal. Look at what God prescribed, “Then he [Elijah] lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat.’ He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.”

God’s prescription: Rest and food.

Mentally: Tough one. Piles of work stare me down now that all the school papers have been turned in and my finals have been taken. However, for this week, I’m tackling only the have-tos, not the want-tos. 

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Note, Jesus spoke to rest for your soul. Allow Him to shoulder part of that workload, be it corporate or carpool in nature. Carry it together.

Emotionally: I’m making up for all the times I couldn’t get coffee with friends because I was buried in school or work. I feel like the college student catching up with my friends once we returned home for the summer. Reserve a table for me at Starbucks. It’s catch up time.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Reach out to the body of Christ.

Spiritually: First, worship. I’m running through my favorite playlist and giving gratitude for an immensely productive semester. I’m refocusing on the One who’s carried me through and I’m giving extra time to intercession. Everyone I know seems to carry ever-increasing burdens. Illness. Prodigals. Family issues. We all benefit from faithful intercession.

In Mark 6:30-32, we read, “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.” Jesus took them aside for some alone time with Him. Where is your solitary place?

Take time to recharge. Allow the kids to recharge too. Rest. Have fun. Just breathe. Enjoy some time without the demands of schedule. But don’t unplug from God. If anything, draw closer. Worship. Talk. Pray. Let Him set the pace for the next season. 

Workout of the Week: Recharging

Memory Verse: So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. Mark 6:32

Meditation Passage: 1 Kings 19

Do It: Make time to recharge.

May’s spiritual discipline is Solitude. What will that look like for you? Where is your solitary place (Mark 6:32)?