No sick days

Photo from: footprints in the sand poem - Bing images; One of my dad's favorite poems, it demonstrates perfectly that Jesus and His strength will carry is through anything life throws our way

My husband took his first sick day ever this week, right on Monday. That’s right, ever. He just never feels unwell enough to go into work. But it was a different story for him this time and at the end of last week we noticed he was not feeling the greatest. Long story short, we had to cut our weekend trip to Marblehead Lighthouse short by a day, he called into work sick on Monday, and I was struggling with some mouth issues from my teeth shifting. We were both kind of struggling, but I was determined to not get sick, particularly because we had a big week this week with trying to finish moving, scheduling appointments with maintenance people for the house, and having my own doctor’s appointments. I drank honey lemon water, I showered twice a day, I ate hearty meals, and I went to bed early. However, by the time Tuesday came around, I was sick too, and even the heal-all turmeric spice didn’t prevent it.

To add to the stress, both Clay and I have been handling work turbulence and trying to make sure to keep the frustration it creates at bay. Unfortunately, we failed more than once throughout not only this past month, but just in this past week. It has been a challenge for us to maintain our plans, our positive attitude, and our high energy lifestyle when illness, work stress, and other out-of-our-control factors come into play. I think it is fair to say that we both consider ourselves happy, charismatic, and glass-half-full people, but at almost every turn in our work lives and our personal lives, we ran into an obstacle. Now, here we sit at the end of the week exhausted. We need a break from our computers, our coworkers, and our phones.

My point in explaining only the aspects that soured our week, instead of my usual attempts at focusing on the nuggets of joy that brightened our days was to express how we get tripped up. We get sick, we get tired, we work so hard that we don't have time for our bodies and souls to heal up. No matter which way you cut it, as humans, we find ourselves needing to take a break, catch our breath, and call in sick.

Aren’t we glad that Jesus doesn’t need to call in sick? What a blessing it is that He does not wear down, need to take breaks, or silence His work phone so He can get some rest. No, Jesus does not have to step back from the responsibility to be Savior to us all, but instead He shows up every single day, right on time, ready to guide us, help us, speak with us, be with us, calm us, and so much more. Isn’t this a comforting thought to know that even though we might get tripped up, God doesn’t. No, in fact, God is the peace that fills our hearts and minds when we are too overwhelmed to handle the curveballs that life throws us. So He does not only stay alert and ready 24 hours, 7 days a week, but He also steps in when we can’t do it, when we can’t handle it, when we need a breather.

Jesus is right there, ready at the drop of a hat, to help us out, be our friend, and to give us hope and encouragement. He does it in different forms, but it might be the hour you get to rest without a phone call, a pay raise when money gets tight, the bird you notice outside your window, the joy you feel when you are with your parents, the answer you have been waiting for, the person you have been hoping to meet. God points us in the right direction, even when we do not notice it, and He keeps His eye on us even when we think we do not need it. And then we get tripped up. And then we realize that we do need it. And He is still right there to send us hope and strength. Psalm 9:9 reminds us that "The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." God is powerful and He is our friend, so we can always come to Him and find a refreshing place to rest.

When I was working a couple years ago, I went through a very rough period where I felt absolutely shredded. I was burning out from working so many hours, I was a full-time college student taking online classes due to COVID, I was planning Clay and my wedding, and my bridal shower was coming up. I was so far behind; Mom and I needed to make soap, body scrubs, lip balms, lip scrubs, put together gift baskets, shop for the food, plan the menu, finish decorating, and more. I remember being so exhausted from it all and when I requested a week off work to go to Tennessee and catch up on it all and focus on the party, I was almost denied going on the trip because it was going to be a busy work week I was going to miss. I was horrified. I felt shattered because I had been putting in so many extra hours and being so generous with my time that I felt as though the week I requested was understandable. I ended up getting the time off, but not before it ruined my day and challenged me to keep myself from having a breakdown in front of my boss. It was my wedding, after all, and I was only going to get married once in my life, so to have the request challenged was shocking to me. I specifically remember coming home that night and feeling so empty when I was supposed to be excited for the wedding preparations and the bridal shower week. I had gotten the time off, so why was I feeling so poorly about how it went? I went to sleep that night and found myself unable to rest. Jesus found His way into my heart when I was too busy to look to Him. And He made me realize that I needed to stop blaming myself for requesting the time off and to look forward to the break away from work. I needed the space and time in order to find my way closer to God. I needed to get away from those responsibilities and do something that I love, get back to my roots, and spend time resting my soul making memories with my loved ones. I also needed the turbulence to trip me up in order for me to recognize that God is ready to help me anytime, any day.

I wanted to share that story because I think we can often find ourselves feeling guilty when we take a break or a breather. When we work hard, we do not want to let anyone down, meaning it can be easy to push ourselves until we break. Clay does this; he will work an eleven-hour day, get called in three hours after getting home and work all night, and then feel guilty for leaving during the day to get rest. He has a good heart, but when this happens, it can be easy to dismiss that we can take a step back and rest while we rely on God's strength to protect us and carry us through. We need to take breaks, we have to recharge, and to recognize the Lord's strength allows us to rely on it and appreciate it.

Not only can we be grateful that Jesus does not need sick days, but the power of His strength is so amazing that when we do take a breather, we do not need to worry about missing something or for our safety. This is incredibly important when we consider how we approach our sick days. When we feel shredded, empty, sick, and exhausted, we need a safe place to heal. What better person to entrust than God to keep us safe, to heal us, to guide us back to our roots, and to get our feet back under us. Psalm 18:2 tells us that "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." When we go to God, when we rely on His strength to instill hope and healing for our bodies and souls, we heal faster, we grow more, and we come out of it with more gratitude in our hearts.

Just like my work story, we find ourselves needing rest away from the rat race of life. It comes in different forms, but it is refreshing when we rely on God's strength to carry us through the turbulence, when we depend upon Him to protect us and heal us. We have broken hearts, illnesses, burnout, chaotic times, and learning experiences that all require healing. Isaiah 41:13 reminds us that “For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’" God is always there to assist us in life, regardless of what we need Him for. Our weakest moments, our sick days, our empty and broken hearts, and all else can be solved when we come to Jesus and give our sorrows and worries to Him. He will instill hope in us, keep us safe with His strength, and we can trust in the fact that He will never leave our side, He will never call in sick or need to take a break from us.

After this week especially, I find my heart grateful for the relationship that I have with Lord. I have needed more rest and grace in this period of my life than I anticipated. Recognizing the weaknesses that have tripped me up, discouraged me, and cost me some tears makes me more ambitious to sing the praises of God and how He has strengthened me with His own strength and protected me with His love and hope. I think we all have moments like these. They come as curveballs, and they make it difficult to keep up with our usual pace and hold onto our positive attitudes. When this happens, it trips us up, but it also gives us a chance to take a step back and rest in the strength that God so graciously gives to us. Isaiah 41:10 brings peace to us: "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." God doesn't need to take any sick days and is always right there for us, ready to love us and heal us from the inside out. Thank the Lord that we can trust in that promise and depend upon on that strength when we need to take a breather or call in sick.