You’d think the prompt ‘easy’ would be, well, easy to write about about. But no. Not tonight.
Five long weeks have passed since spring vacation ended, and the students aren’t the only ones feeling weary of the routines and sitting inside whilst the clouds dance in the blue sky. In six days the kids will go home for a long weekend, and I’ll be able to kick my feet up and take it easy for awhile. But first, I have to make it through six more days of spring sunshine and ants in the pants (the students are antsy, really, it’s not me).
Last Friday I sprained my ankle whilst walking on basically even ground. Yeah. I can do that. As I lurched forward and stumbled a few steps, my first thought was, “I have ankle boots on, I should be fine.”
And I was. Mostly. I limped for a few strides and then finished my three-mile hike. I took it easy over Saturday, but ended up walking seven miles back and forth across my classroom whilst administering a standardized test the next morning (I could be a bit of a legalist, the instructions said to walk around and observe the students, and I didn’t have anything else to do while they tested, so I paced).
Monday morning my ankle and foot felt fine, so I did my training run for a race Sarah and I are participating in on May Day. The seven miles flew by and I thought I had escaped any repurcussions from my clumsy accident.
By Monday afternoon, the top of my foot ached. I elevated it, iced it, and rubbed arnica salve all over it. Did I mention that I’m taking 17 students on a long hike this Sunday? I don’t have time to take it easy.
I had to exchange my running for riding a stationary bicycle (not my favorite thing to do, but at least it doesn’t hurt my foot) for the rest of the week, and forego my usual aerobic workouts. Taking it easy doesn’t come easy for me. It makes me feel impatient and even more weary.
But one thing I do know. God doesn’t promise us an easy life, but he does promise to give us strength when we’re weary. Not just strength to stumble along placing one foot in front of the other, but strength to soar on eagle’s wings.
God doesn't promise us an easy life; he promises us strength for when we're weary. Click To TweetI’d appreciate your prayer for healing for my foot and safety for our hike. Did I mention that it involves the Grand Canyon?
What has you feeling weary right now? How can I pray for you?
Also, I’m hosting a series next month for Mental Health Awareness and I’m looking for guest bloggers who are willing to share their stories to help educate and enlighten others about how Christians should treat people with different mental health challenges. If you think you might be interested, go to the submission guidelines page here. If you know of someone with a story to tell, please pass the information on and encourage him or her to contact me. Thank you!
