Fran & Jesus on the Job - Tired
Thursday, November 11th, 2010The audio portion of this broadcast is no longer available on-line.
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Send to friendDo you ever get just dog tired? Our friend Fran is facing some fatigue and burnout. She's tired, and Jesus has a few things to teach her about being tired. These fictional conversations she has with Jesus are based on scripture, and intended to teach us that Jesus is with us at all times and He does speak to us through His Word and His Spirit, if we have ears to hear.
It's Tuesday afternoon, and Fran has just finished an intensive meeting with one of her clients. As she walks back into her office, she flops down at her desk and unloads the pile of work that is a result of the meeting. She says out loud to herself, "I'm never going to get all this done. It's just too much!"
"Not like you to talk to yourself so negatively," Jesus says quietly to her. As long as she and Jesus have been walking together, she still is often startled to remember that He is always there beside her, aware of everything she says or thinks.
"Oh, sorry, Lord," Fran sits up straight, "I didn't mean to complain, but..."
"But you're tired," Jesus says. "I understand. I was often tired, too, when I was on earth. Remember when I went sound to sleep on the boat during the storm!?"
Fran smiles. "I bet the disciples were incredulous to see you sleeping through that terrible storm. You must have been really tired."
"I was, Fran. I'd been with people, giving so much of myself for so long–you know, even though I was fully God I was also fully Man, so my body got tired just like yours does."
"That's kinda hard for me to realize, Lord," Fran says. "I mean, I can't imagine you ever struggling with anything."
"Fran," Jesus replies, "I was in all ways tempted like you are? I went through every emotion, every temptation, every frustration that you'll ever face. I understand what it's like to be tired."
Fran smiles. "That really encourages me, Lord," she says, "but how did you cope with it?"
"Well," Jesus answers, "for one thing, when I was tired, I got some rest. There are times when nothing but some sleep will truly help. You know, when your body is overly tired, you start saying and doing things you really don't want to say or do; you lose control."
"Yeah, like me starting to get negative," Fran remembers. "That's not usually like me, but because I'm tired, I fall back into those negative ways of thinking."
"Sure," Jesus says, "your physical resources are drained and it's easy to fall into those traps. Also, when you're tired, everything looks worse than it really is–like that stack of work on your desk."
Fran groans. "Oh," she sighs, "one meeting with a client generated two weeks of work!"
"Two weeks?" Jesus asks. "Do you really think so, or is your mind playing tricks on you?"
"You mean, it's not as bad as it looks right now because I'm tired," Fran muses. “Yeah, you're right, Lord. I just need to get home and get some rest. And that's what I'm going to do; it's five o'clock." And with that she grabs her bag and heads for her car.
Her life has been very busy, as it always is for a single mom with two school-aged children. Since her husband's untimely death a few years ago, she's tried to be mom and dad to the kids, hold down a busy job, continue her commitments to her church and keep some semblance of a social life going with friends and family.
She walks into the house with the kids and immediately they begin with When's dinner going to be ready? I'm hungry. What are we having? I don't like meatloaf! Where's my notebook? I can't do this homework! And all the other things that they turn to Fran for on a regular basis. Normally she handles it without a hitch, but tonight she's so tired that her reaction is rather abrupt.
"Drew, how many times have I asked you to just give me a few minutes to myself when we get home and then I'll answer all your questions," Fran says to her nine year old son.
"Gee, Mom, what's the matter?" Drew looks at her with injured eyes.
Fran feels guilty. "Nothing, Drew, I'm just tired, that's all; just give me a minute, okay?"
"Mommie," Alice walks in the kitchen, "I didn't have a good day today because Jimmy made fun of my hair again. He called me carrot-top and that made me so mad and Mrs. Nelson didn't say a thing to him. And I'm going to hit him next time he says that to me..."
"Alice," Fran says, "I told you not to pay any attention to Jimmy. You've got to learn how to deal with Jimmy, Alice."
Alice's face drops and she walks glumly out of the room. "Fran," Jesus says quietly to her, "did you really want to say that to Alice?"
Fran feels guilty again. "Oh, Lord, I'm sorry; I'm just so tired..."
"I know, but you can't allow that to create a problem with your kids," He says. "Why don't you let me help you when you're tired?"
Fran looks as though this is something she never thought of before. Jesus continues, "You haven't even asked me to help you; I can, you know."
Fran shakes her head. "I'm so sorry, Lord. Please, please help me. If you can just get me through the next two hours until I have the kids in bed, then I can collapse and get some rest. Please, Lord, help."
"I'll be glad to," Jesus says. And with that, Fran gets dinner ready, apologizes to the kids, helps them with homework, counsels Alice about Jimmy, and says their prayers with them as she tucks them in bed. Then indeed, she collapses into bed for some much needed sleep herself.
As Fran wakes up the next morning, she feels somewhat refreshed by a good seven hours of sleep, but her body still doesn't want to respond well. "Oh, Lord," she says as she makes a cup of tea, "I'd give anything to stay home today and get some rest. Maybe I could call in sick. . . naw, forget it. The work would just pile up and be worse tomorrow and besides, it's not right."
"Have you thought about why you're so tired lately?" Jesus asks Fran.
"Well, I have a lot to do...I am a single mom, you know…and the job is crazy...and..." her voice trails off.
"Yes, your life is full, but sometimes fatigue is a result of mixed-up priorities," Jesus reminds Fran. "You know, Fran, one of your recurring problems is your tendency to try to be a superwoman."
Fran sits down to drink her tea and thinks about what Jesus has said. "I know you've told me that before, and it's true. I like to show off, don't I? I like to prove I can do anything–leap tall buildings with a single bounce–but I can't. That's part of it, Lord, I just want to prove I can do anything."
"And Fran," Jesus says again, "you still tend to overdo it sometimes on perfectionism. For example, Saturday you could have rested in the afternoon, but you decided to clean all the closets. They weren't that critical, were they?"
"Well, I like neat closets," Fran defends herself, "but...I was tired and you're probably right. My tendency to overdo things still gives me trouble."
"That 'happy medium' is sometimes hard to find," Jesus says to her with a smile. "I don't want you to lose your quest for excellence, but I don't want you frayed around the edges all the time, either, Fran. Sometimes you have to say 'no' to others and to yourself."
"Right," Fran agrees. Later on that day a friend from church calls her at work. "Fran," Linda says, "we need some help with this year's seminar. I know you're not on the committee this year, but could you meet with us tonight and just give us some of your advice? Nobody is as good at organizing as you are, Fran."
"Tonight?" Fran says, as she slumps in her chair. Guilt starts to set in; she hates to say no; she loves to work with the women, but she's so tired. Under pressure, however, she tells Linda she'll be there tonight.
"Fran," Jesus says to her as she hangs up, "didn’t we agree that before you say yes to another commitment, you'd pray about it?"
Fran realizes she has once again taken on more than she should. So, she quickly dials Linda's number and bows out. It was painful, but somehow she's got to teach herself that 'no' is not always a bad word!
How about you? You may be tired all the time because you try to be all things to all people. Remember, Jesus has called us to follow Him, not to jump through everybody else’s hoops.
This Saturday Fran does sleep in a little bit extra, but then it's time to face the unending chores of a working woman's Saturday.
She says to the kids, "Let's get the shopping done early today before the crowds," and she hustles them out about 9:00. They get home around 11:00 with a trunk full of groceries and stuff. Fran starts carrying everything in by herself when Jesus says to her, "Why don't you ask Drew to help you?"
"Well," she replies, "he's just a kid, Lord, and he needs to have some fun time, too."
"Fran," Jesus says, "he needs to learn responsibility and to be considerate about you. He can help you."
"Well," Fran says again, "these bags are kinda heavy and he might drop one..."
"You have trouble delegating, don't you Fran?" Jesus remarks. "Let Drew help you."
She stops at the door as she heads back out to the car, and realizes that the reason she doesn't ask the kids to help more is, one, she feels guilty about being a working mom and tries to compensate by making life easy for the kids. And two, she really doesn't think they'll do it the way she wants it done. Instinctively she recognizes how wrong both of those are–false guilt and pride.
"Drew," she calls, "would you help me please? Would you bring in the other bags in the car?"
Drew comes into the kitchen looking astonished. "You want me to bring in the groceries?"
"Sure," Fran says, "you're the man in this house now and I need your help. You can do that, can't you?"
"Yeah, sure, Mom," Drew says with a grin, and runs out to the car. Fran holds her breath as she watches him bring in the bags, but he makes it fine.
"Thank you so much, Drew; that's a big help," she smiles at him.
"What can I do, Mommie?" Alice asks.
"Well," Fran tries to think, "you could bring the clothes down from the hamper upstairs and help me do the wash."
"Okay, I'll do that," she says and runs upstairs.
"See, Fran," Jesus says, "you can let your kids help you. It's good for all of you to share the workload. You need to do that more and more."
Fran realizes the truth of what Jesus has just taught her, and determines to get better at sharing the chores.
Sunday–the day of rest! Right?! The Lord intended that one in seven days would be a day of rest, but few of us live our lives that way and then we get stressed out and wonder why we're so tired.
On this Sunday, Fran and the kids are heading out of church when some good friends, Bob and Regina, stop them. "Hey, would you guys like to join us? We’re going to catch a quick lunch and then go to the zoo. They've got a baby zebra and some new snakes."
"Yeah, let's go," Drew screams with delight. "Let's go, Mom." Alice chimes in, too.
"Well, I was planning to get some sleep today..." she looks at Regina.
Regina quickly says, “Okay, how about you go home and rest and we'll take the kids."
Fran looks at them. "You'd do that?”
"Fran," Bob says to her, "it would be our joy. You know how I loved Jim, and it’s something he would be pleased about, don’t you think? You go home and rest. We'll see you later this afternoon."
She thanks them profusely and takes their advice. That afternoon of peace and quiet seemed like a week's vacation. How refreshed and rejuvenated she felt. "Thank you, Lord," she says, "for giving me some rest."
Are you tired? Learn as Fran did that Jesus wants you to have needed times of rest. Let me share a poem that has been meaningful to me:
Dear child, God does not say today, "Be strong;"
He knows your strength is spent; He knows how long
The road has been, how weary you have grown,
For He who walked the earthly roads alone,
Each bogging lowland, and each rugged hill,
Can understand, and so He says, "Be still,
And know that I am God." The hour is late,
And you must rest awhile, and you must wait
Until life's empty reservoirs fill up
As slow rain fills an empty upturned cup.
Hold up you cup, dear child, for God to fill.
He only asks today that you be still.
Grace Noll Crowell
Are you tired and weary today? Just turn your empty cup to God. Admit your weariness and then simply allow Him to fill your cup. Nothing can fill that cup like God's Word, so let me leave you with this priceless treasure from the Bible straight to your tired and weary body and mind:
Isaiah 40:28-31: Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
