The Emergency Brake: Part I

Shenanigans. Many of us can look back into our formative years and probably share a comical story or two about the shenanigans that seemed like such a grand idea at the time.

For my husband, this came in the form of a trip down a dusty dirt road in the town where he attended high school. On his way to a friend’s house, he cruised along. Upon entering an open space, he pulled the emergency brake. What ensued was a glorious 360, followed by a cloud of dust…and a police officer sitting the side of the road doing paperwork observing the entire show. We’ll call it a teachable moment.

Sometimes we cruise through life fueled by more horsepower and speed. The road may be smooth at times, bumpy at others, but it’s the road of life. Have you ever been so busy thinking through your calendar, planning your week, and tallying up the to-dos that you almost forget where you are going? (I’m raising my hand here).

Last fall, a new school year ushered in and like, usual, I was firing on all cylinders and ready to take on the new chapter once we were back into the routine. And, then something in my heart shifted. While my head was telling me that I can do ALL the things – just watch me now – my body started telling me to take a step back.

One night, while cooking dinner, my husband and I were talking. I was telling him how I loved caring for our family, completing my work, volunteering here and serving there. I explained that while I thought I could keep doing it all, I was starting to struggle with the juggle.

His response: “Just because you could doesn’t mean you should.”

Hmm…

I’m the talker in the relationship. I love to process verbally to my husband and get his feedback. He is a man of fewer, but more carefully constructed words. So, I began stewing on his comment, but went back to daily life.

I kept doing all the things. And, the road was dusty and bumpy, but otherwise seemingly drivable. And then it happened – it was time to pull the emergency brake. This time, there was no glorious 360 or a telling cloud of dust.

Instead, there was less on the schedule and a little bit more room to breathe. Day by day, I have begun to reclaim the peace in my life busyness had kept me from enjoying. And, I’m pretty sure my kids can feel the effects, too.

Life has seasons, and as the authors of our own lives, we (along with God’s help) are really the only ones who can determine when to accelerate and when to throttle back. We can take a long and hard look at our families, days and schedules and see where we can insert some margin. Isn’t this becoming especially important in our modern lives?

Perhaps it is not a coincidence that at the very beginning of the Bible, rest is addressed. Genesis 2:2-3 (NIV) states, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

God designed us to take time to breathe – right from the very start. Because of this, we must place guilt aside when we need to push pause and find time for restoration. With grace, we can allow ourselves to find the rest we need… and allow ourselves to enjoy it.