Momma Knows Best

It has been a thrill this week to spend time with my family and to witness what a wonderful job my siblings do in parenting their children. Throughout my travels I have been able to spend time with each of my three brothers and their families. Tonight as we were sitting on the back patio at my brother Russ' house the younger cousins were all playing on the trampoline. They had been doing a wonderful job of playing together all day but as the evening wore on the relationships began to get strained. Several attempts were made to set rules and expectations for their play on the trampoline, however the effectiveness was diminishing. Suddenly my sister-in-law got up and said to her children, “Okay. Its time for bed.” You see the kids were simply tired. Momma knew the limitation of their energy and what needed to be done to preserve the peace in the house. She understood that tomorrow is a new day filled with many more opportunities and the most important thing for everyones happiness was to put the kids to bed.

• “Wisdom is to know the limitations of my strength and energies.” - Bill Johnson

I have the above quote written in my office and need to remind myself of it often. I believe that exhaustion can be the greatest hindrance to my effectiveness. In this condition the problem is not that I don't have a good strategy, that I'm not talented or that the solution is impossible. The problem is that I am overtired.

This became clear to me while playing basketball this week. During the winter I was very fortunate to have been able to play in a basketball league and to play pick-up games once a week. During those times I played some of the worst basketball I have played in the last 15 years of my life. It was horrible and very frustrating. However this week I have played great. I believe the primary difference in my play is that this week I am not tired. Isn't it amazing the difference you feel when you are not tired?

Furthermore, weariness can lead me to do stupid things that have long term consequences. It can cause me to say the wrong thing at the wrong time and in the wrong way. One of my favorite quotes from The Princess Bride says, “if you haven't got your rest, you haven't got anything.”

We all need the voice of momma in our head at times to say, “Okay. Its time for bed.”

Father I pray today for those reading this blog. I ask that you would give them rest in their lives. Especially for the single parents and those who give so selflessly in serving. Guard us Lord, guard our tongues, guard our hearts, guard our relationships. Give us time to rest and the wisdom to know when to stop our labors. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness and your steadfast love.