It seems that our bodies are made to go on strike even when we don’t want them to. We are too busy, too much is going on for our bodies to sit and say “I’m done. I need rest.” But, against our will to keep going, doing, and being, our bodies declare that it is time to stop.
Last week, three hundred kids gathered at my church to attend Vacation Bible School. As the coordinator of our Children’s Ministry, I had been working for months, weeks, and countless hours each day on making our VBS the best experience it could be for the children attending. But, the weekend before everything began I woke up unable to swallow and could barely get out of bed. My body was exhausted and I knew something was terribly wrong. After a morning spent at the doctor’s office, I was declared to be contagious with strep throat.
Per doctor’s orders, I had to stay away from people (especially children!) for 24 hours in order to give the antibiotics enough time to start working. That meant no work for me on Sunday and no last minute prep for VBS the day before the event.
Have I mentioned yet that I’m slightly Type A and that 300 kids were coming to this event?
So, instead of hustling and bustling the day before the biggest event of the year, I was home in my pajamas getting the rest my body demanded. I wavered between feeling extremely guilty and extremely grateful for time to rejuvenate before a busy week. I didn’t want to let people down or feel like I wasn’t doing my job. I fidgeted, then prayed. I answered phone calls and texts, then prayed. I slept, then prayed. I took my medicine, then prayed. This continued until every volunteer had gone home and I had done as much as I could do without physically being at the church.
When I was home recovering from strep throat, I began to listen to my body more. If it was tired, I obeyed and closed my eyes. If it was hungry, I ate. If it asked for fresh air, I stepped outside and breathed it in. It might have taken me getting sick to listen but what my body is asking me to do is treat it with respect.
Being a working mom, I don’t always respect my body. I eat bad food because who wants pizza to go to waste? I don’t take a lunch break and step outside, I check e-mails instead. I work long and hard before big events and don’t slow down to rest. I get anxious and don’t exercise. When I disrespect my body, it shows through my weariness, bad attitude, and parenting.
As women, we balance so much. Sometimes it is hard to stop because we are afraid that we might be letting other people down. We are supposed to be the dependable ones, right? But, how can we be dependable if our souls are not well? How can we make smart decisions, speak with gentle tongues, and parent wholeheartedly if we aren’t taking care of ourselves?
Our bodies are no fools. They don’t play the “I’m too busy game.” God designed our bodies to rest and be a temple. He wants us to put good things in and take care of it with exercise, nutrition, and rest. Yes, our bodies will grow tired and get sick but when that happens we need to observe the time out it demands to get better.
Has your body been asking you for a time out lately? What are practical ways that you can treat your body more like a temple?
Christen Price blogs at illuminate {formerly the uncontainable truth}, where she offers a light for your path. As wife to her high school sweetheart and mother to premature twin girls, she’s learned that God is the Ultimate Party Planner and sometimes the unexpected is the greatest gift of all. Christen is the Children’s Ministry Coordinator at her church, a lover of exclamation points, and gets way too excited over food and fabric. You can find her on Facebook and Etsy, or on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter @chris10price.
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