Does anyone else feel like the carefree days of summer are just a distant memory that may or may not have been real? I feel like summer used to feel like one endless day of fun. Even in college I had a few years when I was not in summer school and work was light and I took many trips to the beach...the good ol' days. Now summer just feels like one endless....
Summer is not a vacation in grown-up land. In fact, it has become the most stressful and hectic part of the year for me. Because there is so much ministry that happens in the summer it has become a season I anticipate with both excitement and dread.
In case the disturbingly early and frequent heat advisories hadn't clued you in yet: it's summer and I'm already a hot mess.
Aside from the fact that while your body is sweating your brain is 10x more likely to go crazy on people (totally my personal opinion but I'm sure there must be scientific evidence), I have about three people's full-time jobs to take care of and for someone who needs focus to do things well...I feel like I'm losing my mind most days. Add a healthy dose of emotional stress while we continue on our adoption journey and you've got a recipe for "Homicidal Adria"--and that is not someone any of us want to meet.
It's hard for me to claim the peace I have in Christ when the days are never ending and filled with frantic to-do lists. It's hard for me not to feel alone in my humongous work load. It's hard for me to center myself when I feel pulled in too many directions and the days just never seem to end. It's hard for me to find patience stored in the deep recesses of my heart when I'm hot and sweaty and frantically trying to stay above water.
It's hard, but it's not impossible. Or, at least the Bible tells me so. And that is what I need to cling to. There is peace despite the circumstances. "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10. I need more of that in my life. Some of the things that keep me going:
This photo is so peaceful to me. The color isn't great because it's a photo of a photo that Kelly gave me from his collection. We secretly named it "Hope for an INTJ." I love it and stand in the hall and stare at it on particularly rough days :).
That face has to make you smile.
I don't always like to admit it, but he keeps me calm and forces me to see the positive even if under duress.
I have a picture that I stare at too. Just think we are halfway through June already that is at least 1/6th of the way to the end.
ReplyDeleteAndrew,
ReplyDeleteThanks for being the one that "... keeps me calm and forces me to see the positive even if under duress."
A dad like to know someone is taking care of his daughter.