The Donut

Background: I’m driving on the highway, in the fast lane, and in front of me is this vehicle with a donut in place of the left rear tire. I’ve had a spare tire on my car before and I’m quite sure there is a speed limit you are not to exceed when you have one of those on. So please remove your vehicle from the fast lane.

When you have a spare tire on your car, you are limited in how fast you can go. There are situations in our lives that keep us from going at our optimum level of functioning. Imagine that co-worker that’s been out sick for a few days and they come back to work before they are ready. They’re still coughing and sneezing all over everything, they have drugs and tissues cluttering their desk, and they may get some work done, but not as much as they would if they were 100%. Or what about that person who made the new year resolution to go to the gym and they decide to do an advanced exercise class on their first day. One of two things is going to happen, they are either going to make it half way through the class and leave because its too intense or they are going to suffer through the intensity of the class, barely keeping up, and live life in soreness and regret for a few days and vow not to go back to that class because it’s too hard. When in actuality, the class isn’t too hard, its just for people who are conditioned.

When you are going through a spare tire moment in your life and you are not operating at 100%, own up to that and honor the limits that are imposed on you. When our bodies, spirit and mind are at 100%, it’s ok to push past 100% because we have all engines geared and ready to make a new standard of 100% in our lives. But when we are ill, burdened in our minds and spirits, needing to focus on major situations in our families, there is now a limit on our awesomeness that we must respect until the situation or illness is over. The P31 woke up early to prepare her servants and household for the day, but I bet you if she was under the weather, she stayed in bed. And if she didn’t, I bet she was not the easiest person to get along with or just not on her A-game that day. If the P31 had an issue with relationships in her home, would her mind have been as sharp to make good business deals or to be as creative with her sewing? Being a woman that has lived a few years on this earth, I can attest that these things don’t allow you to operate at an optimal level and we shouldn’t get frustrated about this. It’s life.

So the key to getting back to our optimal level of P31 awesomeness is replacing the spare tire with an actual tire. In some cases replacing a tire can be easy, other times the resources may not be available to do this or time must have the right of way. What do you do when you cannot easily replace the spare tire? Delegate. Enlist some help. Be honest with those around you. Adjust your schedules and timelines. Use other resources. Most importantly, pray and spend time in God’s word. That alone will cause you to get closer to 100% than any of your natural efforts.

When we are at our best, it’s ok to push ourselves. But when we are in a suboptimal state, trying to operate at our normal level can be disastrous and cause more harm than good. Take care of yourself physically, mentally and spiritually when you are in suboptimal states and respect the limits they impose on you. You may not like them, but you do have to respect them, remember they are not permanent

References: Proverbs 31:10-31