Over Exhaustion

I am going to guess that 60 percent of the people that read this post at one point today said, “Man… I am tired,” or at least something along those lines.

I often have days where I am completely physically, mentally and emotionally drained at the end of the day. Depending on your line of work, it may be rare that you find yourself relaxed, calm and energized throughout your day. I find it amazing that I can sit in an office and talk with folks all day and still be tired, however, I need to remind myself of what is important.

Long days, long nights, “crazy” busy, awful bosses, gossiping co-workers, bad traffic, “stupid” drivers, messy houses, cold dinners,the list could go on and on. In our busy lives, it is fairly easy to get caught up in our active lives and miss out on those important things.

Regardless of what we do, we are serving others. Even sitting alone in an office, you are important. Every cubicle, every factory worker, assembly line, supervisor, teacher, or student. We all have an opportunity to bring new life (or new hope) to those around us. For that, take joy every single day.

Paul reminds us in the book of Philippians. He states,

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

As Paul wrote his letter to the church in Philippi, he wrote these words from a prison cell. Some of us may feel like we are in “prison” within the four-walled building we call work. The last month has been a busy time for me with Thanksgiving and now Christmas just a week away. Over 150 hours of face to face time with my clients, 2,500+ miles on my car [my personal four-walled ‘prison’], and minimal time with my beautiful wife [pretty hard for newlyweds], it would be pretty easy for Jess and me both to get down and simply be unhappy.

BUT

Reminding myself (and Jessie as well) that we show God’s love to others every single day. The ways that we can show grace, sincerity and genuine love to those we serve and those we work with. People probably think I am so strange because I can walk into the office and smile, laugh and joke with those around me even after a tough day. I can’t help to think that the only reason is the joy that God gives us every single day.

I think it is important to be mindful of our thoughts regarding our that joy as Christmas comes in less than a week. In Luke 2, we are told about a “great joy for all the people.” We need to remember that joy came in the form of a baby. When we chose/choose to follow Jesus, we can choose to live in joy every single day. Regardless of your situation, your struggles or shortcomings, we can choose Jesus. Today, tomorrow, everyday… choose joy.