This is a guest post from my lovely wife who is holding everything together back home while I'm away. I'm sure you can relate to this post. Stephanie is a real people - person, but everyone has a limit. Here's what she wrote to me the other day:
"How can some people be so exhausting while others are so reviving?
I experienced it this evening. We had guests for dinner and I felt myself slipping away with each minute they overstayed their welcome. Now that I’ve slammed the door (and no, not in their faces!), did a ten minute tidy, sent a quick venting email off to MM, quietly and gently with as few words as possible kissed, hugged and tucked in all progeny, I’m wondering what Jesus did with people so EGR. No wonder He was sneaking away to quiet, out of the way places to pray every time the disciples turned around!
God has made me to crave social activity. I love people. I love being around people. I love making people laugh. I love leading people. I love talking with people. I love loving people. Do you understand me?! I looooove people! People make me happy. People energize me. People amaze me. I am in awe of God’s creation of peeps!
So when this kind of thing happens to me I am caught off guard, somewhat dazed and confused. It takes a LOT for me to be drained by something God created me to be so into. You know the old, ‘too much of a good thing’ saying. Well, that was me tonight. And yes, I set boundaries. Funny thing about boundaries is, some people don’t CARE! So now all boundaries are off … there is no need for boundaries … because THAT will
never
happen
again.
Those guests won’t have the opportunity for a repeat performance. Mainly because this went way beyond EGR.
EGR I can grasp.
Living a life void of God, I get.
This … I was wiped out with this.
I’m still thinking about what Jesus did with EGR folks. I’ll let you know when I figure it out. I don’t think it’s the pat churchified answer most are so quick to throw out, the “Jesus loves everybody”. I think it’s more than that.
I think it’s the Pharisees.
I think it’s the knowing what’s right and doing another.
I think it’s the unending entitlement whine.
I think it’s our wayward culture de-valueing the God given role and authority of parents.
I think it’s you and I think it’s me.
So what are we going to do about it?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
legend:
MM ~ Music Man
the man of my dreams who’s put up with me all these 18 years of sheer wedded bliss
EGR ~ Extra Grace Required,
those people who require much more grace for the rest of us to stand to be around them."
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