Calibrating to Your Creator

(1 minute, 29 seconds)

I wore winter gloves to a conference a few weekends ago, and by mid-afternoon, I had tucked my mitts into my bag, along with two sweaters. ‘Tis the season when upper mid-westerners like myself must check the weather in the morning before going to our closets to choose our attire for the day. With temperature variations from the upper 70s to the lower 30s, it’s true that most donning must be done in layers.

Like the unpredictability of October and November weather, I have also been thrown off by significant variations in my daily energy. Gratefully, I haven’t come close to the point where I’ll need chemotherapy for my blood cancer yet. However, this season of in-between my diagnosis and treatment, especially as it relates to my energy level, has been like mid-west fall weather: rather unpredictable on a day-to-day basis.

After a couple of bags of iron infusions in late summer, I felt a kindredness with Popeye the Sailor Man! Yet, I still usually need to sleep more every day than our three-year-old puppy.

Like depending on my weather app to know how to dress each day, I have an energy app that I rely on to understand how to steward my daily activities. It’s not on my phone. Instead, it’s taped to my bathroom mirror. I share this update and my energy app, knowing that I am not alone in experiencing low-energy days and in hopes that this will be beneficial to you.

Here is a picture of what I read every morning in this unpredictable season of fluctuating energy:

If this resonates with you, please consider using this idea as your own “permission granted,” “be subject to Jesus in all things,” and “the world-won’t-stop-if-you-stay-home-today” card. It’s a subtle but calibrating response to our Creator. He is the One who created the universe and hovered over you as you inhaled your first breath. He is the One who pulls agates to the shore through the tides of Lake Superior. He is the One who dispenses and doles out every ounce of energy you need today.

One of my favorite Pastors at our church loves to remind us to “serve in the strength that God supplies.” 1 Peter 4:11 If we believe that God supplies our strength, then it’s also true that we should sit or lie down when the measured strength that He supplies dwindles. Sitting isn’t quitting, friend. Sometimes, resting may be the most obedient response to the One who supplies you with everything you need for life and godliness.