Stress

Last week my wife and I celebrated our forty-seventh anniversary as husband and wife. That is not as long as some, but a whole lot longer than many! They have been wonderfully blessed years, and I thank God for the wife and home He has given me.

I recently did something I should do more often—turned notifications off on my phone, drove to an area with no cell reception, hiked to the bottom of a canyon, and sat for two and a half hours with a good book.

Have you ever gotten to the end of a “day off” and felt just as exhausted as you did at the beginning? Have you ever looked back over the day and wished for a do over?

It seems that there are busy seasons of life when we give ourselves to our calling in more intense and more protracted ways than normal. No matter your calling, your life is demanding, and you are busy running from one event to the next.

A few weeks ago, I was told that my wife and I needed to take a break and rest. At first, I hesitated, considering how busy things have been at Shawnee in recent months. But after discussing it with Amanda, we agreed that we could use a few days by ourselves.

It’s easy to explain why we need renewal because all of us can easily identify with the all-too-familiar sense of depletion. But what do we do when we come to this point? How do we renew?

Have you ever felt that what God has called you to do is more than you can handle? Have you felt overwhelmed to the point that you want to quit? Then you, my friend, have had a Moses moment!

Serving people necessitates giving of ourselves. Paul put it well in 2 Corinthians 12:15: “I will very gladly spend and be spent for you.” We are not infinite, however. Every expenditure must be replenished, or eventually we run dry.

After preaching in a foreign country, a ministry friend took my wife and me to a remote hotel “resort” in Central America for a night and day of rest before we would travel home. After a frightful journey on deteriorating roads, we arrived for our time of refreshment.

I love Lucy! And no…I’m not referring to the old black and white TV classic. I love our new dog, Lucy!

Recently, I began to feel pain and pressure in my stomach and chest, and I ended up in the emergency room. The doctor came to my bed and told me that I had an aortic dissection and an aortic aneurysm. My response was, “Are you kidding?” He wasn’t joking.