A Moment to Be Still

I was physically exhausted.  You know what?  You can be so busy that you don’t even know how tired you are—until you take a moment and actually sit still.  I was being pulled in so many directions that I had shifted into autopilot.  It’s that place when you can function highly, but you are actually detached from whatever task you are completing.  You may or may not experience any fulfillment during that process; you are just checking off boxes to complete what’s in front of you (although you are still doing it very well).  And I’ll be really honest with you:  it was very easy for me to slip into that mode because there were things that needed to be done. 

I was emotionally drained and didn’t realize it until I stopped moving around so much.  Have you ever cried just because you are tired?  I needed a moment to release the tears.  I then realized I had all kinds of emotions that I needed to actually take the time to feel.  Autopilot mode had also made me numb to the effects of everything that was going on around me.  I wasn’t oblivious, I was just too busy to really deal with how I was feeling, because I was taking care of everything (and everybody) but me. 

I’m not suggesting that you allow your emotions to lead you (we know our feelings can mislead us), but I am saying that your feelings are important and should not be ignored.  Your feelings do matter.  Sometimes we can be so busy that we don’t take the time to feel where we are in the moment.  Other times we can be so super spiritual that we forget we are spirit and flesh.  When someone asks, “How are you?” and you are having a challenging day, just say so.  You don’t have to exclaim, “I’m blessed and highly favored!”  Yes, you are blessed and highly favored, but that doesn’t mean that you have to ignore those moments when you are struggling.  Get some sisters who can support you, pray for you, and encourage you—the real you—and be honest when you need your spirit lifted.