Role Play

Yesterday I went to the hospital to visit a terminally ill relative. They told us that he didn’t have much longer and that we all needed to come and say our final good byes. The room was filled with family members in various stages of mourning. Some were crying, some were trying to hold it together and some couldn’t take it and left the room. Then there were those who made it their business to focus on the needs of others.

Do you know anyone who, in the midst of crisis and calamity, goes straight to being there for other people? Do you know someone who is the “rock” of the family – the one that everybody seems to depend on? Does this sound like you?

If you are familiar with this type of person or if this just happens to be you, it sounds like you play the role of “caretaker” or “the strong one” or maybe even “the leader” in your family circle. This is often an admirable yet burdensome role proving that “to whom much is given, much is required.”

It can be very easy for those of us burdened with responsibility to get lost in the role that we play—caring and giving and giving and caring—that we forget about ourselves. And truthfully, sometimes we lose ourselves in caring for others so that we don’t have to deal with our own painful realities. Either way, if you don’t stop playing this role or learn how to prioritize caring for yourself as well as others, you will be as useless as a car that has run out of gas on the side of the road.

So, go get yourself filled up. Get what you need. Lavish love on and bless yourself. Get some rest. Get some people in your life who can pour into you, encourage you and lift you up. Spend more time with people who you can have fun with and enjoy yourself. Strive for balance. Balance = (Equal Amounts of Responsibility + Rest + Fun)

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