October 29 – “sigh”

Have you ever had a day … Maybe back in school where you really wanted to do well on a test and you even studied some and you were pumped up … and when it came time for the test you just didn't feel all there? Maybe at work you had a particular assignment and you made all sorts of plans and charts and you knew just what to do in your head … and when it was time to get the job done, all you could think of was calling in sick?   It's not a bad day, exactly.  It's not all that different from any othe day, in fact.  But something inside you just hasn't clicked on.  You feel OK, but just not great.  "Blah" comes to mind.  As does "Ho Hum"  Maybe even "sigh" (without a capital letter).  You don't want the day to be drab.  You want to get excited.  To get things done.  But it's just not happening for you.   And to make things worse, there is invariably someone else around who is Mr. Chipper.  You know, he's all those things you wish you were right now.  You've been that guy in the past.  Just not now.   That was me today.  Trying to work before and after Mr. Tarzan (aka Ferel) got to the house.  I tore out some sheetrock at Mom's house.  Pulled a few nails.  Walked around and looked at stuff that was here yesterday and looked just the same then.  Blah.  Ho Hum.  sigh (without a capital).   Then Ferel and Melissa came for a quick hour or two of work before they left for home.  The energy level in the house went up dramatically.  He bounded from wall to wall.  Took out a wheelbarrow load of trash.  Pulled some nails.  Tore out some sheetrock.  Started again.  I tried to keep up.  I really did.  But I was counting the minutes until we would leave to attend a memorial service off the island.  If anybody had asked, I would have said I was tired.  But no one did.  I was – and am – certainly ready to take another of those Sabbath rests.  A few of them.  Back to back.  Maybe I have that dreaded mold disease.   I carried my disease with me through the memorial service.  Into Loews as we looked at stuff for the house.  Into the Omega house and back to the other car where we finally found our missing cell phone (missed a call from the SBA.  Oh, well).  Into the youth group meeting at the church.   And there I woke up.  I think I started to rouse when Mike shook my hand, smiled, and said he shared the link to this site with a coworker and it made her cry.  The cloud definitely lifted a bit more when the kids began to arrive in all their exuberance.  I blinked at the brightness when two girls who were back for the first time since the storm came over and hugged me and told me they had missed me.  I welcomed in the warmth when we began to sing – to praise.  Of course.  Psalms 22:3 says, "God inhabits the praise of his people Israel."  If it works for Israel as the people of God, it also works for us a Christians.  How about a quick blast from the past?  I grew up as a Jesus Freak in the Jesus Movement of the 70's.  We had a saying back then.  Someone would shout, "Attitude Check!"  And everyone within hearing distance would respond with another shout, "Praise the Lord!"   Praise the Lord.  God will be there.   Father, shout me down a good, loud, "Attitude Check!" next time I get in a funk like today.  Praise You!  Amen.