Why Am I So Tired?

I was visiting my father-in-law this afternoon.  He lives in a nursing home -- it's a nice place, he is well taken care of, and he seems to like living there.  While my wife was tending to some personal matters with him, I was sitting there enjoying a quiet chat.  Sometime during my visit, I fell asleep.  According to my wife, I was out for about 20 minutes -- even snoring a little.  Hmmmm.  So why am I so tired?

Well, I actually have an answer to that: my new job.  It's not that my work is usually that taxing, but yesterday was a bit more involved then I am accustomed to.  I had four people call in sick.  A couple were understandable, but the other two were . . . well, I won't get into that here in a public forum.  Anyway, their absence created a significant shortage in manpower on one of the busiest days of the week.  Rather then spending several hours in the office and my usual "supervisory" activities, I found myself out doing the "grunt" work -- unloading the 40' supply trailer (by hand/pallet jack) along with hundreds of car and truck loads of "goodies".  (I'm being vague on purpose, as I have not yet decided to reveal my employment situation just yet.) I did that for essential 9 straight hours.  I did take a few minutes to answer some critical emails and to order needed supplies for the next day.  By the end of the day, even my assistant manager was telling me how exhausted I looked.  She was right . . . I was beat!

Pastor Jul baptizing on Good Friday

This has nothing to do directly with my work in the Philippines, but it serves as a lesson about being reliable . . . about being available to help with the needs of others.  There are several wonderful workers there in the Philippines.  Some of those pastors there are working tirelessly to accomplish their tasks . . . and they do so with minimal financial reward -- it's for the Kingdom of God, not for themselves that they do this.  That they get some help along the way is so very important.  I feel very guilty that I'm not there.  Now it's not really my fault that I am still in the US.  It's just the way things are at the moment.  But when the opportunity arises for me to return (and I do believe the opportunity will present itself), I need to be ready to go.  I need to be willing to go. There is no calling-off-sick.  I don't want to let them down.  I don't want them to work until they are exhausted, just because I was taking a day off, enjoying myself.

I'm hoping to have a fruitful meeting next Sunday.  I will reveal more afterward.  All I ask is that you keep me in your prayers, and that I be able to say the right words, to present the best accounting of my work in the Philippines, to encourage and gain the spiritual, physical, and financial support to accomplish some of the things I have already set into motion.  Help me to be bold  . . . for its all for the Kingdom of God.