Exhausted??? The Key to Energy

I am sooo tired!

I can't do this anymore!

I am spent!

I catch myself saying or thinking these words more than I want.

When I pick up the mess for the hundredth time. I mumble to myself about how tired I am and how it's not fair.

The refrigerator is empty. I have to do food shopping and I feel like I have no strength to go and shelpp and wait in those lines. "Ugh, I just can't."

The child has a tantrum or an escalation or is just in one of those moods and I think to myself, "I have had enough. I can't handle this."

An issue comes up, a difficult person, yet another trial, challenge, test . "I don't have koach (strength) for this..."

Pregnancy, after birth, nursing, "just" being a woman, being a wife, being a mother.

My daily life.

It's hard and tiring and I think to myself, "I am so TIRED! Frustrated! Annoyed! EXHAUSTED! I can't do this!!!"

STOP!!!...

Those thoughts, they are a force that just wants to bring you down.

TURN them AROUND.

"Who says that the only reason why I am here is not to get through this moment? To keep going? To stay calm? Yes, even to pick that toy up or smile warmly at that person...Who says that what I am doing isn't holy, incredible, HUGE?"

No one! Or maybe everyone in our wonderful advanced Western society, but the Torah tells us something different.

What you are doing is HOLY! HUGE!

Value it. Recognize it. Look at it differently otherwise...you'll lose the merit of it, the sechar (reward) for it. Otherwise you will NOT be able to do it and even if you go through the motions of doing it you will most likely be miserable.

Esau was a man of the field. He knew how to hunt.

Isaac, his father, loved Esau for the food he (Esau) put in his mouth.

Esau went out to hunt.

What was he doing?

He was actually doing an incredible thing. He was bringing home food for his father, yes, this in itself is a tremendous deed.

He comes back and he is sooooo TIRED. He's EXHAUSTED.

Esau sells his birthright for some red lentil stew.

He lost the most precious wonderful thing that was his by birthright. He lost all that reward and merit to serve Hashem. Sold it for a bowl of soup.

Why?

Because he did not see the value in it. Didn't see the greatness in it. He didn't see how HUGE he could have been, actually how huge he was, not by being Yaakov, who sat and learned with all his strength, but in the potential of greatness that he had by being him (Esau).

If he had said, "I am so tired because b'H I just came back from working hard to hunt game for my father. Wow I have the merit to do kivud av v'em (honoring my parents)." I am telling you, Esau, even if it was physical exhaustion, would not have felt exhausted. He would have felt rejuvenated, connected, fulfilled.

Please, VALUE what you are doing.

I'm not saying it will make it physically easier.

I'm not saying that it isn't challenging or difficult to do.

BUT when you turn it around...

"Hashem, I'm doing this for YOU!"

"I'm picking up this mess because my home is a mini beis hamikdash (Temple)"

"I'm taking care of this child for You Hashem!"

"I'm going to the supermarket to have food to nourish my family."

"I'm working to help support my family, Torah, community...."

Then you own it. It's yours.

All that hard work, it's for something.

And yes, there will be a reward.

Emotionally, mentally- you will make the quality of your life better and getting through the task easier.

Turn it around :)

Many blessings,

Shabbat Shalom!

Elana