When You Get Tired and Things Mount Up in Ministry

imageOne time I was working with the cutest little single parent family. There were three children. Michael was the middle child in between two bossy sisters. One morning he was really grouchy. Nothing was right. His clothes bothered him. He didn’t like his breakfast. His paper kept moving around when he was trying to draw a picture. He was mad at both sisters and people were just getting in his way and bothering him.

After putting up with his tirades for most of the morning his big sister said,

“Michael what is wrong with you? You have been grouchy all morning. Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or something?”

Michael got a real thoughtful look on his face and in a few moments said,

“No! No, I got up on the same side I get up on every morning. I can’t get up on the other side because it’s against the wall.”

pdf to share leftThat incident happened more than twenty years ago and yet I remember that perplexed look on Michael’s little face when he couldn’t figure out how he could have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.

Michael was always the happy go lucky child. Nothing much seemed to bother him, but that morning was just a bad morning for him. The real problem was Michael had gone to bed very late the night before, and he was tired. Sometimes we all get tired. We get frustrated with the way life is going. We get exhausted and tired of ministering when it seems we are not making a difference in the life of a hurting child.

Just like little Michael needed to rest we may need a spiritual rest. We may need to get away and alone with the Lord. When your life is right with the Father, other things seem to work out too. That doesn’t mean you won’t have your moments and your challenges, but you will have hope and His Word will encourage you. Your burden will be a little lighter.

Do you wonder if the Lord ever looks at us and says, “What? Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed today?” And we give him that same perplexed look like my little friend had. We alibi our busy and hectic schedules that keep us away from His word and from Him.

Kids need our best. They need us to be rested physically and spiritually. Kids of divorce especially need for you to be loved enough by the Father that you can give love to them.

Linda Ranson Jacobs is one of the forefront leaders in the area of children and divorce. She developed and created the DivorceCare for Kids programs. DC4K is an international program for churches to use to help children of divorced parents find healing within the arms of a loving church family. As a speaker, author, trainer, program developer and child care center owner, Linda has assisted countless families by modeling and acting on the healing love she has found in Jesus Christ. Linda offers support, encouragement and suggestions to help those working with the child of divorce. She serves as DC4K Ambassador (http://www.dc4k.org) and can be reached via email at ljacobs@dc4k.org. You can find additional articles from Linda on her blog at http://blog.dc4k.org/.

Free articles and devotions for single parent families in your church can be found at Linda’s website Healthy Loving Partnerships for Our Kids (http://www.hlp4.com).