I’m a word girl. I live in a world of letters not numbers. And I’m quite happy there. Occasionally, my husband asks me to help reconcile the check book. And it makes me want to poke my eyes out. Can I get an “amen” from any of my sisters out there?
What I do understand about numbers is this: If you make a deposit, your bank account gets bigger. If you make a withdrawal, your bank account gets smaller. And if you make too many withdrawals, then you can’t buy that cute shirt at TJ Maxx.
I think if we peered inside our hearts, we’d see an inner bank account too labeled “energy and emotion.” When the craziness of life happens to us, it’s like a withdrawal from our account. Maybe a crisis comes up. A loved one gets sick. Or it could be just an especially busy (although good) season.
We’d like to think that those counts are endless and we can just keep hitting the ATM of our hearts without any consequences. But energy and emotion are finite resources. We’re human and we’ve got limited amounts of both. Too many withdrawals and we’re in the red. That may look like exhaustion, frustration or just plain ‘ol burnout.
Then we feel guilty. So we try harder. Which means more withdrawals. On and on it goes. Whew.
What we need isn’t to try harder but instead to replenish that emotion and energy account inside us. How do we do so? Here are a few ideas…
* Spiritually – Time with Jesus
* Physically – If you really need sleep, find a way to get some
* Emotionally – What brings you joy? Do it–even if it’s just for five minutes
* Socially – Who makes you feel better when you talk to them? Connect, even if it’s just a quick hello
* Miscellaneous – We all have weird things that make us feel better. If it’s not illegal or immoral, go for it.
The response I get from women when I talk about this is usually, “But that feels so selfish.” Here’s the difference: you are replenishing that account as an investment so you can spend it on someone else later. If you’ve got a billion dollars in the bank and you just keep hoarding more, that’s one thing. If you’re running low and you know that you have bills to pay and ways you want to give, then taking care of your account isn’t selfish–it’s stewardship.
At the end of reconciling our checkbook I look at the bottom line. It’s a positive number and I smile because it means we can meet the opportunities ahead effectively–and because I can go to TJ Maxx. I’ve got a feeling that God does the same when He sees us taking care of the bank accounts in our hearts. He knows He can call on us to give and we’ll be ready to answer.
What’s one small way you can make a deposit in your life today?
–Holley Gerth
