The past two weeks, I have had zero energy. I think it has something to do with the weather or the pollen in the air or something. (Despite neither of my coworkers knowing what I was taking about when I brought this up yesterday, I’m pretty sure I’m not making this up…)

I suppose most people turn to caffeine in such situations, but I’m convinced that coffee actually makes me more tired. (I get overstimulated, then crash, and then can’t sleep at night…) My usual coping mechanism is to collapse in front of the TV every opportunity I get. But the past couple weeks, I’ve been learning some new strategies.

Here are some of them:

1. Going to bed earlier.

Seems obvious, but I always forget how important this is. Even a 30-minute shift in bedtime can make a huge difference!

2. Interacting with people.

When I’m tired, I usually want to crawl into a cave by myself to recharge, but recently I’ve realized that people can recharge me too. Especially when they make me laugh. Or give me deep insight into something. Or pleasantly surprise me, like when one of my rambunctious little third grade boys picks up my pen cap from the floor or gives me a brownie.

3. Being spontaneous.

The other evening I was planning to write, but instead accepted my roommate’s invitation to go for a short walk, which turned into a long walk down the beach plus a long photo shoot of the beautifully lit bridge Gwangan Bridge. Even though I got a little whiny by the end (while my roomie was trying to perfect her shot of the bridge with all the complicated settings of her camera), I was really glad we went. There is something refreshing about breaking your schedule to do something completely different than usual, exploring a new place, pursuing a hobby with no pressure whatsoever.

4. Praying.

This was actually the biggest discovery of my week. So many times when I wanted to collapse on my bed after a long day, I chose to go up on my roof and pray instead, and I found myself completely revived. It was incredible. It wasn’t even so much the processing of my life with God part (though I enjoy doing that) or the delighting in the beautiful night with God part (though that’s nice, too), it was the interceding for people part.

Prayer is so mysterious, but I am discovering more and more how powerful it is.

Through prayer, we call forth the will of God. Through prayer, hearts change and atmosphere shifts. Through prayer, we gain vision and insight into what is really happening around us. We remember and acknowledge who God is, and we start to see what He is doing and desires to do.

The best way I can describe intercession is that I feel fully alive while doing it. I know I am doing something that matters, more than anything else I do all day.

It’s strange how something that I used to think of as a chore and a duty has become the most refreshing activity of the day to me. Strange, and yet I can’t say I’m completely surprised. As it turns out, I need more than “alone time” at the end of the day, I come alive when I do something that matters.

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