Sometimes life just wears us out, right? When we have to climb mountains of stress or sorrow, we just get tired. Hard stuff can wear us out and leave us feeling powerless.
But, sometimes our most vulnerable tired comes after we have stood on a mountain of success and seen God’s power.
Have you ever felt that kind of exhausted – the kind of soul-tiredness that shows up on the heels of a race well run?
We all feel the impulse to quit, to pull back — to put on the brakes from time to time. We can feel overwhelmed and like life is just too much.
We can feel like we are just not up for one more task, one more smile, or one more issue. Right? Can I get a witness?! And, the urge to just throw in the towel can feel so, so strong that we intuitively know we just need a breather — we need rest.
As heard on KLOVE Jan 2010; Excerpted from Self Talk, Soul Talk by Jennifer Rothschild (Harvest House, 2007)
In 1991 I was invited to sing the national anthem for an Atlanta Braves game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Prior to that warm July evening, I had only sung the national anthem once publicly—at the opening of the little league season in West Palm Beach, Florida. Let’s just say that first experience was a whole lot less intimidating.
“The Star-Spangled Banner” is a stirring, wonderful song, but no one has ever claimed it’s easy to sing. I was so nervous. I rehearsed madly, consumed bottles of Maalox…and then it was time to step out on the field. A reverent hush fell upon the stadium as the players removed their caps, and Old Glory flapped in the wind.
I began. “Oh, say can you see…”
So far, so good.
