A Legacy of Tired
A few years ago I remember hearing reports of celebrities being admitted to the hospital for exhaustion. I never believed it; I thought ‘exhaustion’ was a euphemism for too much hard liquor and recreational drugs. Then I had two kids at the age of 29 and 30, then had an emotional roller-coaster of a year at 35 and realized that exhaustion was indeed a real condition.
When I think of all the things I can leave my children, I realize that I don’t want to leave them a legacy of tiredness. Do I want them to have a strong work ethic? Yes. Do I want them to have perseverance? Yes. Do I want them to feel successful in whatever they choose to do? Yes. But do I want them to do it at the expense of their physical health, salvation, relationships, and sanity? Absolutely not.
I believe that we are programmed to believe that ‘working harder’ leads to ‘playing harder’. It doesn’t. It leads to burnout, obesity, stress, heart disease, and a slew of other things that disrupt our lives. Don’t get me wrong – I clearly haven’t figured this out completely (I buy workout clothes because they’re comfortable to run errands in and I’m an emotional eater sometimes)- but with each exhausting day that passes I’m realizing that my kids are watching. Am I showing them how to disconnect from work so I can connect with them? Am I showing them that when you’re sick, the only way to truly get better is rest? Am I showing them that in order to have authentic relationships I have to spend time with people? Am I showing them how to have an intimate relationship with Christ through study, prayer, and meditation? Or am I simply showing them to go as hard and fast as you can until you’re FORCED to stop.
Friends, let’s learn to slow down so that our children don’t pay the price for our busyness.
Until next time…