My daughter was complaining of a sore throat and runny nose today and wanted to stay home from school. I didn't really believe her, especially because the complaints of illness came as an afterthought to complaints about not wanting to go to school and hating homework. But after cross-checking her symptoms, I decided to let her stay home. She's not one to tell lies and I've made the mistake of disbelieving her before.
As I informed the support staff who help open car doors and take temperatures that Rose wouldn't be going to school, I had a flashback of a time when I called in sick while teaching at Heights Christian Junior High. I remember calling the Principal, Rol Esslinger, and explaining how I wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be able to teach my Math classes that day.
And guess what, he believed me. I remember hanging up and crying. I think I was relieved. The pressure of having to perform was off. I could rest. My sickness was legit. I wasn't making it up.
I remember feeling the same when I learned I had Hashimotos Thyroiditis. I was relieved to learn my fatigue had a cause. I still feel that same relief when I ask Phil to take over in the evenings when I'm ill or exhausted or crabby. Hurrah! I don't have to perform. I'm off the hook. I can rest.
I wonder if a large percentage of people are looking for an excuse for why they can't perform well, why they should be allowed rest, and why the pressure is off. I don't think everyone is looking for an excuse, just the people who see that they've fallen short of perfection. There's another class of people who desperately want to know why people behave like nincompoops, but those are not the type of people I'm talking about here. I'm talking about the people who know they aren't what they should be and are so haunted by the pressure to do well, that they feel ill.
I have good news for these people, of whom I am one. We have an excuse. The pressure is off. We can rest.
Our excuse is that we were born malfunctioning, and our childhood and culture and upbringing didn't fix us. We were born without the Holy Spirit and separated from birth from the source of all good things, God, that is. We were born sick. We have an excuse.
Not only that, but the pressure is off because our need to perform perfectly has been met by Christ's perfect life. Christ lived it for us. He presented himself to God on our behalf to meet that requirement. That box has been checked. No pressure.
Now, we can rest knowing that we don't have to make excuses for our failures anymore. Instead, we can humbly remember that our inadequacies are remnants of the old life, reminders of the one who is adequate, and signposts that point to who has what we need.
By the way, after two hours, my child realized she wasn't going to get TV or sweets and asked to be taken to school instead. Turns out she wasn't sick after all.
Posts
Comments