Exhaustion

Post by Jen Shultz.

Exodus 17:12

When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

I am tired. 

Like a bone deep, emotionally exhausted kind of tired. The kind of tired you feel when you are constantly bombarded by the same thing over and over. I have a feeling I am not the only one.

Our world, our nation, and our home states have been significantly changed in the last month. Not by landscape, looks, or operation. People who have been pushed their whole lives to get out and experience the world, to show up and show out, are being told abruptly it’s time to stay home. Our busyness has become big business and one small word has had far-reaching consequences to that piece of life: 

COVID-19

It is creating a panic in some, stubbornness in others. But what I see the most is the way this experience is bringing people together. We are all tired and doing our best with this next new thing. It is a big one. It sort of feels like we are balancing the whole world by our own actions right now, doesn’t it?

Like Moses, many of us are doing it with shaky arms. But friend… we are doing it. Families are suddenly all home playing games or enjoying meals together. Friends are checking on friends. Strangers are offering up tangible items like eggs and bread to people who may not have the means to buy them now because they cannot go to work. 

Situations like the pandemic we are in the midst of can bring out the very best in people--even with shaky arms--if we focus on the right things. Now is the time to be an Aaron or a Hur. What that looks like is going to be different for each of us. Keep your distance, but don’t be distant. Shelter in place, but enjoy your new pace. Wash your hands – nothing new here, we should have been doing this all along.

Medical professionals and first responders are bravely sacrificing in order to care for those in need. We have men and women stocking shelves, driving trucks, filling medication, and keeping the lights on with an enormous amount of responsibility and limited physical safety. We have an entire generation of people who are vulnerable and a small percentage of the population like me, who are compromised because of health conditions.

We’re thankful for the sacrifices you’re making to stay where you are and I pray even in the midst of this uncertainty you are able to see the beautiful way God is working in your life and giving you back the time the things of this world have gradually taken over. Use it, friend, to connect with Him, your family, and maybe even that stranger who has a need you can fulfill. This pandemic WILL have a sunset, but , for now, look around for those whose arms may be tired. They might just need an Aaron and a Hur. 

Exodus 17:12

When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

Jen is diligent in her sheltering at home. She is immunocompromised due to cancer treatment and chronic health conditions (so thank you for doing your part to protect those like her). Making the best of any situation is her jam, so remote board games with other quarantined family members and having everyone home to sit down for dinner has been a real blessing.

Photo by Vladislav Muslakov on Unsplash