Poise Mid-Journey When Fatigued

Fatigue is a factor in all our lives. It predisposes us to many ills of mind, body, and spirit. It weakens us and it compromises our spiritual sustainability.

Fatigue, most of all, is the biggest threat mid-journey—on whatever journey we are on. Midway we have some credit, but we are nowhere near the end of the journey. Fear bites as we stand furthest from either point—the start and the finish. We are easily overwhelmed by the distance still to be traversed.

We vacillate between polls of indifference and despair and fleeting bounds of joy; that’s typical, normal.

Through any tumultuous season, we are being strengthened for the overall journey, but the tragic irony is, this mini-journey is without seeming ending. Our biggest challenge in achieving a better life for ourselves is sustaining ourselves during the present difficult season.

But we can gather poise; that simple, uncomplicated sense of confidence that comes without thought or effort. It inspires us to competence.

Enjoying Rest Periods along the Journey

No journey is much fun without rest breaks to enjoy the scenery on the pilgrimage set forth for us. Rest breaks allow us to evaluate our progress and to regroup. We can sustain a burst of activity for only so long before we need a rest.

Such rest periods mid-journey afford us the opportunity to grow in poise.

And what is this poise? It is simply the re-establishment of balanced perspective even within the presence of a tired mind, body, or soul. It is an opportune smile, a deep breath, or a giggle.

This poise is a thing beyond our understanding—gifted to us by God in contemplation. This is the value of going inward, to explore God in the silence of our rested hearts.

If we didn’t have such poise to go to, or to grow, we could quite easily get a little insane. Chaos can be endured for a certain time, but then it starts to rip away at the threads of our spiritual constitutions. But poise is the reminder that the strength of God can be drawn upon anywhere, any time.

The thing we need most of all when we are fatigued is the encouragement of capacity; to know we have more in reserve, and to build those reserves up in rest. The wise soldier never spends all their ammunition in the one battle. They conserve what is so vital to the defence of their survival.

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Strength is redeemed mid-journey by taking the opportunity to rest. When we rest we redeem reserves of value to continue the journey. Most of all we are blessed with poise—that balanced sense of peace that transcends our understanding. Having rested we feel confident and competent again.

Rest gives us back our confidence and competence.

© 2013 S. J. Wickham.