Crossing the Line...

I've already said it, but I'll say it again - It's been a rough week. Somewhere between battling the roaches and pulling my hand out of the water dispenser, between enduring PT Conferences and avoiding Pink Eye, I think I crossed the line of sanity. As the week stretched on, each day, each burden, each stress piled one on top the other until I began to feel crushed under the pressure of it all. Usually, by the time Friday arrives, I feel the relief of the coming weekend and I can relax - Friday is a usually a safe haven that leads me into the Sabbath. But not this week. As the weekend loomed before me, I wanted to scream. I hurried from one task to the next - photo copying at school, laundry, grocery shopping, cheering at the school volleyball game - there seemed to be no end! I felt my sanity slipping away, against my control. Little things that would usually never bother me, made me want to scream - standing in line at the grocery store, waiting at the laundry mat, the sun in my eyes, the pesky fly trapped in the car with me, indecision, noisy chatter - aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! I didn't know if I could handle it much longer!!!

Then I talked to my best friend - she always seems to be there at the right moment and say the right thing. She advised me to not go to the evangelistic meeting, but rather to stay home, relax, and get to bed early. At first I argued against it - I'm a missionary, I should be a good example.....I'm expected to go.....It's Friday night, I should be there - but later, long after I hung up the phone, I realized that I needed to stay home.

As I prayed, read, and played guitar, I began to relax and began feeling like a normal person again. At first I felt a little guilty for staying at home and relaxing while everyone else headed off to the meeting, but I realized that Jesus took time out, too. There were times when he retreated from everyone and everything and spent time rejuvenating himself so he could better fulfill his mission. Sometimes he arose early in the morning to seek God, other times he jumped in a boat and pushed away from shore to find some peace and quiet. If Jesus occasionally needed time away from it all, how much more do we need it?

The month of October is almost over - hopefully I'll be able to begin November with my sanity fully intact!