LIFE RIGHT NOW ◽ YOU
Out of Service
by Jennifer Stephens
Every morning I lace up my tennis shoes, grab a ballcap to hide my unkempt hair, and hit the pavement before the sun rises, off on my daily walk. Some days find me listening to an audiobook while other days find me lost in thought, absorbing the sounds of the neighborhood waking up. Either way, my mind races through a mental checklist of that day’s multiple activities. There’s the garden club meeting at 9:30, book club at 1:00 - but I’m also supposed to play Mahjong at 1:00, then I need to find time to make cookies for a friend, and we also have Bible study in the evening. And I’d like to read a few chapters from this month’s novel to prepare for tomorrow’s book club. Oh, my! How to do it all?
It’s easy to say no to things we don’t like to do, but what happens when we’re worn out from a calendar overflowing with activities we love? One cloudy morning, while trudging up a steep hill and wondering if I reschedule this can I still make it to that, a fire hydrant caught my eye. I’d passed it a million times before, but today something was hanging on it. A sign of sorts. “OUT OF SERVICE” it read. Out. Of. Service. Me too, fire hydrant, me too.
A fire hydrant can be deemed out of service for a variety of reasons. The first is an obvious crash, leaving it knocked over or broken. Or it could be temporarily shut off while crews work nearby. Of course, it’s possible the fire hydrant is simply…worn out. Like me. Like all of us?
Helping others is what I do. As a classroom teacher, my job was to help kids succeed. And I spent thirty years doing just that – helping kids unlock the code of letters and sounds to become readers, guiding them to become responsible citizens, and creating an environment where they felt safe and valued. Since retiring, that desire to help others has shifted into other things. Planning parties, attending luncheons, volunteering for various organizations, joining several social clubs - with an ever-growing list of things to do. Saying yes to almost everything that’s asked of me. All leaving very few empty spaces in my calendar.
That’s when I’m reminded of Galatians 6:9: “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” And in Matthew 11:28 we read, “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
There will be times we find ourselves sporting our own “OUT OF SERVICE” necklace like that fire hydrant. Whether we are feeling broken, drowning in busyness and in need of a temporary shut off, or completely worn out and ready to trim the to-do list, we can go to Jesus. Always. When we’re tired, weary, or carrying too much, in Him we can rest.