| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “The influence of a mentor” Our Bible verse for today: “He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” Mark 6:31 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Is your soul tired?” The book, “The Simple Care of a Hopeful Heart: Mentoring Yourself in Difficult Times” is all about taking care of yourself. It’s written specifically for those who tend to push too hard, especially while taking care of others, and in the process, they neglect taking care of themselves. In it, author and counselor Robert Wicks tells the story of a fellow counselor who came to him for professional advice about a difficult case she was dealing with. When she sat down in Robert’s office, he immediately saw in her face and mannerisms that she was exhausted and stressed. So, he said to her, “Before we get into the case you wanted to discuss, how are you doing? You look drained.” In return, she got teary-eyed and said in a quiet voice, “I think my soul is tired.” To that, Robert smiled and wisely responded, “Well, we can’t have that, can we?” He then led her to put aside her concern about the case and to talk about herself for a while instead. He helped her to consider some ways she could care for herself before she returned to caring for others. The fact is that we can’t take care of others if we don’t first take care of ourselves. Or at least, we won’t be able to do it for very long. For instance, those who are caregivers for sick loved ones often allow themselves to get so preoccupied with caring for their loved one that they forget to take care of themselves. Then, the more worn out the caregiver gets, the less effective their care for their loved one will be. Likewise, those, like Robert Wicks’ co-worker, who are in the helping professions, can easily get burned out if they’re not careful. A good mentor will recognize this and help you to take steps to deal with it. In Mark 6:31 (above), we read about a time when Jesus and His closest disciples had been involved in a prolonged time of intense ministry and they needed a break. So, Jesus called a time-out and took them all off for a short retreat. It was exactly what was needed. Let me ask you, is your soul tired? Are you taking care of yourself? If you aren’t hearing it from anyone else then please hear it from me, “give yourself a break”. Maybe this weekend is the perfect time to get some rest and to recharge your soul. God bless, Pastor Jim |
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