Sometimes being selfish is not selfish at all. Instead, it is a practical approach that actually gives you more time and resources to help others. Let’s face it, you can’t give energy to others is you have run out of energy yourself. I’ve heard people tell me that “God will never give you more than you can handle” or “God will give you all the energy you need to accomplish His will.” I firmly believe that God will provide the resources to do His work. But you want to know something? Jesus rested. That’s right. Jesus rested. He had to re-energize. I have never seen an image of Jesus frolicking with the cross. The truth is that Jesus got tired. It was the human in Him. God expects you to take time for yourself and re-energize. And that doesn’t mean a monumental pray-a-thon and please don’t misunderstand me when I say that. Praying can be extremely tiring because, when it is focused and directed it requires and extreme amount of energy. I believe in prayer. It just may leave you more tired.

I can hear you now, “That’s nice, Walt, but what has that got to do with music?” Actually, it has a lot to do with music… at least for me. You see, when I am most tired, I am worthless at the keyboard (piano or computer). Can I work? Sure, I can work, but the quality suffers tremendously. I’m sure that all of you have been at that point where you are just too exhausted to pick up a drum stick, pluck a guitar or hammer out a note. Nothing seems to work. You feel like you are working in a void and noting connects. It doesn’t mean you don’t love the Lord or that you have lost your faith or that your skills are dying (although you may certainly believe that).

Take a tip from a flight attendant. She will tell you that you need to pull the oxygen mask over your face before you help anyone else, even your children. Why does she tell you to do that? Seems rather selfish, doesn’t it. In truth, she understands that if you don’t take care of yourself first, it is likely you won’t have the resources to help anyone else because you will be passed out. Where does that leave those around you that really counted on you for help? It’s not selfish. It’s practical. It’s what we come to understand as we accept our humanity. These are fragile shells we inhabit and they have to be taken care of with a sense of dedication and humility. We have to admit we are fragile and sometimes that is a very difficult thing for us to do.

Now, how to we recharge? There are lots of ways to do this and opinions vary. Yoga, recreation, sleep, sitting out in a field or on a mountain are all excellent ways, but you need to figure out what works for you. As for me, I get recharged when I am helping others. There’s just something powerful and invigorating when I focus on someone else’s needs. When I am finished, I am much more relaxed. That doesn’t work for everyone.

Share with me how you recharge and how it affects your music. We can all learn more from each other on how to keep ourselves functional and aligned with our purpose.