I’m tired.
Tired, as in go to bed an hour early and wake up an hour later than usual. Tired, as in afternoon “power nap” required.*
This seems really odd because it’s summertime and that’s usually the season of easy living and filling up, but this summer has been a bit different for us. Maybe for you too.
Whether it’s emotional, or physical strain, now, or mid-winter, we all go through seasons of tired and need to be gentle with ourselves and refuel. Can I get an “Amen”?
We need daily and weekly rhythms of filling so that we serve out of overflow but I believe we also need seasonal and yearly rhythms of filling too.
This brings us to my favorite week of the year.
Approximately Wednesday, August 5th to Wednesday, August 12th.
Every. Year.
This week, new ideas, stimulating conversations, prayer, laughter, music, sun, wind and waves win over everything else.
Every single year we have two back-to-back, inviolate commitments – the Global Leadership Summit and right afterwards, our staff family retreat on a lake in northern Minnesota.
The GLS brings together World Class Leaders to speak at a two day conference. It’s inspiring, challenging, encouraging, motivating. And this year our church is hosting as a satellite site so if you live in the Twin Cities and haven’t signed up yet, do it Here! (and if we haven’t met yet, come introduce yourself to me!).
Bill Hybels says, “As a leader, the best thing you bring to the table every day is a filled up bucket.”
When my bucket is empty…
- I’m more likely to speak too quickly.
- I’m less likely to be patient.
- I’m more likely to spin my wheels without listening to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
- I’m more likely to overlook God’s beautiful gifts because I’m worried.
So how do you fill up?
Think of some the different areas of your life – spiritual, physical, relational. What rhythms do you have that keep you replenished so that you don’t just deplete, deplete, deplete, and then madly try to fill up?
What’s one thing you can commit to today to allow God to fill up your bucket?
- Carve out 5 minutes of silence to remember God is with you. Just focus on His character. Check this resource.
- Sign up for a class or conference that will inspire or motivate you.
- Take a walk or a run and thank God for all the gifts you notice.
- Set up a coffee date with someone you want to learn from.
- Go to the Abide site or get the Abide app and choose a guided prayer topic that fits your circumstances.
There are a million other filler-uppers. What favorites would you add in the comments?
*I love it that John Ortberg says, “Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap.”
Yes, a nap is in order. Silence and time for God to speak to me. Perfect timing for this message as my sweet golden retriever, Friday, kept me up most of the night because of bad thunder storms. You know, when your body is twisted every which way because she is laying all over then bed. Some day, when we are physically sore, we let those emotional pains come to the surface. Perhaps it is God’s way to say, “Take time for yourself, listen for my voice and take heart in my Word”. A nap with God is definitely replacing my “to do” list for today. Thanks for the nudge to realize what I need.
Enjoy!