by Rev Douglas Brauner
When he was tired, Jesus turned to fellowship with his Father for strength.
(This blog originally posted May 29, 2015)
It is hard for me to sit at the keyboard to type out this blog because I’m tired. I’ve been wrestling with getting the Praying With The Eyes website up and running. There were more obstacles than I had expected, even though people warned me that I would encounter them.
There were various roadblocks to starting a website that I hadn’t counted on, more than simply figuring out WordPress. I didn’t realize that I needed to find a host for the website, then a template. I watched videos that helped me understand how to set up my website.
Once I had picked and purchased a template then I had to wait for WordPress to do what they do (whatever that is). It took more than three days for WordPress to inform me that I could start building the website.
Editing the website was another adventure. I knew how I wanted the site to appear, but getting it to look that way took a great deal of trial and error…mostly error.
At the same time that I’m working on the website, I was busy working on a couple of podcasts that would be submitted to iTunes. Apple doesn’t make anything easy (contrary to all you Apple addicts out there). The simple part was recording the podcasts, the difficulty was getting it connected to the website through the PowerPress plugin and then working through Apple’s requirements. Finally, after a couple of weeks of work, IT IS FINISHED!
If the only thing I needed to do during this time was start the website and record a couple of podcasts, life would have been easy. Yet, there was more going on during that caused me stress during this time of publishing the website. There were the constant demands from my job and family.
I’m not alone in my tiredness. Many of you are exhausted as well. My last couple of weeks might seem like a cake walk for many of you, and it probably was.
We live in a tired culture.
If you’re reading this blog expecting some magic pill, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m writing this in midst of my tiredness, and I’m not sure when things are going to get better.
Life continues to happen. If it wasn’t the website it would be something else draining me of energy. Isn’t that the way it goes? We believe that if we get rid of that “something” that’s depleting us of life, everything would be okay only to find that another “something” takes its place.
When Jesus’ disciples returned exhausted from their mission trip, he invited them to join him in a mini “vacation” for some R&R (Mark 6:30-31), however they were not able to rest as a large crowd hounded them, a crowd that Jesus feeds with a mere five loaves of bread and two fish.
At the end of this exhausting day, Jesus retreats to spend time talking with his Father. It is in prayer that he finds his rest. He is rejuvenated by communing with his Father, so much so that he walks on water in the midst of storm.
Right now prayer feels like one more thing on my to do list, and things on my to do list are usually not fun, and that’s why they’re on the list to begin with. I put off those things that I don’t want to do. And to be honest with you, I don’t always want to pray.
Yet I can’t get away from the feeling that even though I’m tired, it’s time to talk with my heavenly Father…but will I be able to walk on water? Hmmmmmm?
Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Hmmm fitting. I guess today I learned that He will give you rest. Being such an insomniac I’m thankful for a day of extreme drowsiness.
Walk on water??? I don’t know, move mountains… maybe, in either case priorities matter. Dave Ramsey talks about putting our tithe first in our budget and everything else after. I think the same is true in terms of our relationship with God specifically in our prayer life. It’s hard to find the time to do anything but I think when we front load our Faith life our stressors and exhaustion seems that much more worthwhile.