A SOUL-FILLING WEEKEND
I have felt defeated for a while now.
I know, it sounds more desperate than it really is, but you know the feeling ... just not feeling very successful at anything ... overwhelmed that nothing is getting done ... and that nothing is getting done well ... that what is getting done is sub-par.
The weekend rolled around, and while I had tons of fun stuff to do, I couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of my head that reminded me that I still had a ton of stuff that had to be done that wasn't so much fun. It would all be waiting for me after a weekend of "running."
And then Friday landed....
A friend won tickets to the Big Daddy Weave concert in Lexington. She asked if I wanted to go with her, and I jumped at the chance (after consulting my book ... y'all, if I don't check that datebook, I will double or triple book myself. It's so ugly).
Big Daddy Weave have been a worship band I've enjoyed for quite some time now. Twenty years, as it turns out -- they pointed out, during the concert, that this was their 20th Anniversary Tour.
Y'all, I'm old!
Their music didn't disappoint, and I was able to have a sweet worship experience in the middle of this auditorium full of strangers. I laughed ... I cried ... I sang at the top of my lungs.
And never once did I think about all the things on my TO DO LIST. I was in the moment and enjoyed the moments bestowed upon me that night.
Saturday found me fighting a headache most of the morning, and, as I laid around willing the headache to go away, I couldn't help feeling a bit beat up as I looked at the piles I needed to deal with, the dust coating every surface of my house, and the dishes that STILL hadn't been done.
I headed back to Lexington to see Gerry Brooks, the principal that does all the funny YouTube videos. Like this one ...
It was a great night with lots of laughs, and he ended the evening with some inspiring words -- words that nailed me right between the eyes.
Paraphrasing here:
I know, it sounds more desperate than it really is, but you know the feeling ... just not feeling very successful at anything ... overwhelmed that nothing is getting done ... and that nothing is getting done well ... that what is getting done is sub-par.
The weekend rolled around, and while I had tons of fun stuff to do, I couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of my head that reminded me that I still had a ton of stuff that had to be done that wasn't so much fun. It would all be waiting for me after a weekend of "running."
And then Friday landed....
A friend won tickets to the Big Daddy Weave concert in Lexington. She asked if I wanted to go with her, and I jumped at the chance (after consulting my book ... y'all, if I don't check that datebook, I will double or triple book myself. It's so ugly).
Big Daddy Weave have been a worship band I've enjoyed for quite some time now. Twenty years, as it turns out -- they pointed out, during the concert, that this was their 20th Anniversary Tour.
Y'all, I'm old!
Their music didn't disappoint, and I was able to have a sweet worship experience in the middle of this auditorium full of strangers. I laughed ... I cried ... I sang at the top of my lungs.
And never once did I think about all the things on my TO DO LIST. I was in the moment and enjoyed the moments bestowed upon me that night.
Saturday found me fighting a headache most of the morning, and, as I laid around willing the headache to go away, I couldn't help feeling a bit beat up as I looked at the piles I needed to deal with, the dust coating every surface of my house, and the dishes that STILL hadn't been done.
I headed back to Lexington to see Gerry Brooks, the principal that does all the funny YouTube videos. Like this one ...
It was a great night with lots of laughs, and he ended the evening with some inspiring words -- words that nailed me right between the eyes.
Paraphrasing here:
- Take responsibility. If you were asked to correct something, rather than getting upset and all bent out of shape, ask yourself what responsibility you have in the situation. If you have responsibility, take it and make the changes.
- Do not stir the pot. If someone tells you something, it was sharing or venting. If you turn around and share it with someone else, it's gossip. If you share it with someone else after that, it's being a bully.
- This job is hard, and anyone who isn't an educator understands that. If you can't handle the stress, seek help/counseling.
I got into my car after the show, and I was struck by how filling the last two nights had been. I received the messages that I needed them at the exact time I truly needed them.
Isn't it cool how God does that?
Suddenly, my piles and TO DO LISTS didn't seem so daunting. The adulting duties I am required to deal with didn't seem so unending.
This busy weekend that I was almost dreading became soul-filling.
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