I had gotten home, undressed, and was sitting in my recliner when the phone rang. It had already been one of the most draining days I've ever experienced, and I was mentally, physically and spiritually on EMPTY. The last thing I wanted to do was talk to anyone else for a while. I looked at the number and saw it was someone I had been counseling for several years. With a quick "Jesus, please give me strength and wisdom for this" I answered the phone, "Hey Padre, you got a minute?" Please don't get me wrong, I love helping people! I love seeing that "Ah HA" moment when the pieces begin to make sense.
On this particular occasion, I felt weak and washed out, but I knew if I told the caller that I was just to empty to talk, I would most likely undo all of our counseling and my reputation would take a huge hit. So I asked the caller to give me just a second so I could get to my office (at home). Again, I silently begged God for the strength and wisdom to give my best to this caller. I got to my office, closed the door, and for the next two hours had one of the most energizing conversations ever. We had a great heart to heart deep conversation, and the longer we talked I realized that my weariness had turned into energy. And, to be honest, some of the answers I provided to the caller's questions, I have NO idea where they came from except God had provided.
Afterwards, God reminded me of how my Pastoral Counseling Professor began each class by telling us "What you do on your own power will exhaust you and leave you feeling defeated. What you do because you have asked God for help, insight, strength, courage to speak the truth in love, will leave you energized beyond comprehension." And it's true! Because when I am at my weakest, the only One I can rely on is God.
No comments:
Post a Comment