Parents, are you ready to Zoom out? I think I have screen fatigue from all the video meetings as I sit in my civilian, stay at home, fatigues (a.k.a. my sweatsuit). I took Military Science class in College, mainly because I needed another college credit and a couple of friends were in ROTC and they needed soldiers to lead as they trained for service. Both of these men served our country well… thanks and kudos to them and all those who solemnly swore “to support and protect the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic…” The class came with a lab,which was actually field training. We put on Army issued fatigues and boots, we marched, carried stoppered weapons, learned to ford a raging creek with a rope, repel and do push ups… I am thankful for the small taste of the training our service people go through, it makes me appreciate them even more. We took an overnight FTX, a Field Training Exercise, somewhere in the NC/SC mountains. It was dark and we hiked toward our target. With weapons and a 30 pound pack… and we hiked, and we hiked, we got lost, and for hours we hiked. We finally made it to our target point, then we engaged the “enemy.” For a while adrenaline perked us up from the all night hike. We dove into ditches to dodge grenade simulators and enemy “fire” and took over a small “fort.” When the battle was over my M16 was traded for a much heavier M60 from the guy who had to leave for a wedding (a privilege of not real enlisted soldiers)... with which I again got to hike through the mountains. Then my pack was traded for a heavier military communications pack, that again, you guessed it, I had the privilege of hiking through the mountains. When the FTX was over, after we disassembled, cleaned and reassembled our weapons, and ate some MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) breakfast, the cadre of officers rewarded everyone with a surprise for their hard work. Normally, I would have been really excited to rapel down Grandfather Mountain, in NC, but because I was so fatigued in my fatigues, I couldn’t enjoy it. My mind was foggy and my body was exhausted, I wasn’t even sure I had secured my harness well. I wasn’t present enough to relish the experience with my friends and colleagues. I made it down the mountain, but not with the exhilaration it should have brought. I was just too tired.
As I communicate with some of you, I hear that you are tired. You are tired of the screen time and the monotony. As one of you said, you are “Zoomed Out.” Some of you are Zooming for work and Zooming for your kid’s school and Zooming for church and Bible Study and Zooming with family. The things you would normally enjoy are not as enjoyable because you are just tired. The time with family that, a couple of months ago, we were craving more of, can now feel like overload to some. This hike through the coronavirus mountains is getting tiring. The weights piled on your shoulders seem to be increasing. Don’t forget to rest. Don’t forget to refresh. Take a screen timeout. Find some time to come away from all the stress. Rest, then do something fun. Then you can reconnect and be present with the ones who bring you joy. Get a dose of God’s joy and return to share it with those around you.
Listen to Isaiah’s reminder to those who follow God:“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary; there is no limit to his understanding. He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless. Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31 (CSBBible)
Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all.
