This morning I didn’t feel like getting out of bed. It’s probably related to the fact that my
house is a mess, and I hate waking up to a mess. And it was raining or something outside. Rainy days are made for sleeping, IMHO. But it translated into a generalized lethargy
that would have had me sleeping peacefully had my employees not started calling
me at 8 am. Then my Pastor, then a friend’s
creditor (seems this “friend” has listed me as their emergency contact). Then my employees again. By that time, I
decided I may as well get up.
By the time I got to the office, I realized something was wrong. Not sure why I didn’t take oscillococcinum before I left, but by the time I got to the office I realized a cold was coming on. I did what I could – I’m in the midst of evaluating and signing contracts and responding to RFPs. Trying to wrap my head around all that plus deal with the shivering, shaking, and hot and cold episodes that come with the this season – it was all a bit much. In the midst of all that, I’m evaluating people and programs for future viability. It was quite a day, and by the end of it, I was drained.
But I got this cool picture about planking, posted it on FB,
and went to the gym. Here’s the pic:
On the way, since I’d gotten the coupon to redeem my
satellite radio, I stopped by Radio Shack.
The replacement was 79.99 instead of $49.99. I picked it up, but later came home and found
it on sale for $49.99, so now I have to go take it back, get my money refunded,
and order it online. Lord, give me strength. Why do different stores have different prices? If I didn't know better, I'd think they were purposely trying to obfuscate the process...
Anyway. So I stopped at Radio Shack then headed to the gym. I was really drained, alternating chills with
sweats. I put on my gear and go into the
studio. I’m sweating bullets before we
start working out. Our trainer has us doing
bouncy planks, then mountain climbers, then pushups on the bells before we even
start to work out. The kettlebell
workout was a typical kettlebell workout – difficult but not impossible. But as I’m stumbling through the workouts and
the pushups and the crunches, I realize that my chills have gone away. By the
time I finished the workout and did a couple of cycles in the steam room, I
think I’d sweat my cold out. I’m reminded
that they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, and am happy to
find my strength now renewed.
Which would be nice, but probably not enough to sit me down
to write. But then I recall that
somewhere during the day, one of my former employees sent me a text. She was a bright young woman, a big girl like
myself, and one in whom I saw a lot of promise.
Not only did I try to offer her suggestions on her career, I did
everything I could to position her for growth.
So when she texted me to thank me for it, it simply made my day. She’s moved on to an expanded position. I
know it was hard for her, but she moved and she now appears to love it. This will position her for career growth,
which was not something I could have offered her. So many people have helped me out that it’s a
tremendous privilege to be able to help someone else out.
The day didn’t start out the way I wanted it to. It was filled with a lot of barriers. But I made it through, and will count it as a
wonderful day. And since I’ve just come
from the gym, I’m thinking that the race is not given to the swift nor to the
strong (Ecc 9:11), but to the one who endures to the end (Matt 24:13).
Sometimes you just have to stay the course, run with it, and make the
best of what’s in front of you. That’s
what I’m learning to do now. Endure, and
in that endurance, find strength. I'm starting to understand Paul when he says that Christ told him that Christ's Strength is made perfect in weakness. When we've done all we can, when we've emptied our bodies, minds, and spirits, when we are truly on E, then the Spirit of the Lord can enter and can revive our bodies, minds, and spirits. That's Strength, the kind you can't build up on your own, the kind which can only be imparted, and not even on a timetable. This is a strength for which we must prepare and then wait.
So I'm waiting on Strength. Lord, give me strength to face the next thing you put before me (like the sermon I have to preach this weekend, don't even know which day, and don't even know how I'm getting there...).
Yeah, I'm waiting for Strength. Prepared, ready, and waiting for strength.
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