Journal of Michelle Smith

I recently spent three days in the hospital. Now that I am home under doctor’s orders to rest and relax I can see quite clearly God’s design for me to rest.

You see, I am a workaholic. Since I moved back to St. Louis is 1997, I have consistently maintained two to three jobs or major responsibilities. In fact, I’ve been pushing myself since my late mother had a stroke in 1996, when I would come home every weekend to help out at home. I was 26 then, though, so the toll wasn’t as high for me.

Eleven years later I am older and have neglected my health significantly. Yet, I did not take heed when my father and friends were telling me to slow down and that I work too hard.

As usual, I had a full-time job, a part-time job and graduate studies to maintain. I completed my work for school satisfactorily, got the youth to Atlanta for their annual trip and received a commendation from the CEO at the part-time job. Not bad right? Wrong.

Nothing is worth your health. I immediately dropped the extra class I didn’t need to take and I am currently assessing what else to let go of that is too burdensome. I need to slow down and stop working harder and start working smarter. I should have listened to the guardian angels that were telling me this. Since I wouldn’t listen to them, God gave me a message I had to listen to–kidney infection, low oxygen, high blood pressure, high blood glucose and pneumonia in both lungs. I got the message loud and clear. I was a human pin cushion and got no rest in the hospital for being bothered every few hours for some test or something. Now that I am home, rest it is.

As part of the body of Christ, it is important for me to take care of myself so that I am fit to take care of the rest of the body of Christ. I cannot fulfill my mission otherwise.

So, the moral of this story is take care of yourself and listen to your guardian angels. Otherwise, you may really get a talking to from upstairs!