Stretched Out But Not Breaking

Yesterday I picked up an elastic band and at first stretching, it snapped right across the room. My first thought was, "That could be me". Rubber bands are made to be stretched out and re-stretched but not to be continually at their max. When they lose their suppleness and resiliency, they just snap. I have now finished an extremely busy week with 3 full afternoons of meetings away from the classroom, each with their own workload to follow up on. Evenings also had their share of "Mommy, can you...?" with one night away from home to practice music. Although the week was busy and overloaded, I found that I was not to the point of breaking emotionally or physically. What was keeping me soft and ready to be stretched out so much?

One thing I do intentionally is to let some things go at home so that time can go to relaxing in the evenings. I also look forward to my Sundays as a "day of rest", a time to recharge my batteries and refocus my thinking. Some of this happens at church for me and I feel like I've missed out when I can't attend. I'm getting stretched out so much each day that I don't think I could survive with only that time. I also need daily times of reading and thinking about God's words to get perspective for the day ahead. Solomon's Proverbs are true words of wisdom and they are rich with treasure. When I read something that applies to me, it's like a warm oil that lubricates and softens my rough edges, keeping my mind clear and in focus. This is what is keeping me from being stretched out right now to the point of breaking.

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