Growing Weary

 Isaiah 40: 28-31

Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard?

    The Lord is the everlasting God,

    the creator of the ends of the earth.

    He doesn’t grow tired or weary.

His understanding is beyond human reach,

     giving power to the tired

    and reviving the exhausted.

Youths will become tired and weary,

    young men will certainly stumble;

    but those who hope in the Lord

    will renew their strength;

    they will fly up on wings like eagles;

    they will run and not be tired;

    they will walk and not be weary.

If you would, read the passage above more carefully.  A few items that caught my eye.

1. The Lord does not grow weary.  An excellent faith to remember.
2. However, youth and young men, undoubtedly the most energetic among us (unless you consider young women🙂 ), will grow weary.  They will stumble and become tired.
3. God will give them strength.

Please don't read this passage and think it means that we should ignore our weariness.  God knows we grow weary and tired.  That we stumble and fall.  Do remember that only God does not grow weary, and we are not God.

We can rely on God to renew us, to lift us up, and help us to fly again, but we should not think that our weariness or stumbling actions are weakness.  They are not - they are humanity.  We are designed by God to need to rest.  The only sin here is to think we are God, and that we will not grow tired.  

God is with us

Interesting how social media can throw thoughts at you and how those thoughts can collide.

Take a look at this video (language warning, but you can handle it).

"Faith tells me that my worthiness does not come from my busy-ness."

Compare that to something I saw on Facebook on almost the same day, shared by a person of faith I know.  It was a quote that said, "God is saying to you today, 'I know you are physically and emotionally drained.  But you have to keep on going. I will see you through."

So, what is God really telling us?

I was in the break room at work one day, and a young mother was speaking to another woman in the room. They were discussing someone they had in common, who had recently had a baby.  The newest mother they were speaking about was having a hard time getting it all done - she was exhausted -  and the two in the room were discussing what hints to give her to help her.  So I, who was not part of the conversation, threw in my two cents.  They were: your house will not always be clean, and its OK.  Take time for yourself. You cannot do it all.  

They both looked at me as if I had two heads.  I felt as if they were saying, "Well, what kind of mother are you?"

What kind of mother am I? I'm a great mom, whose boys know I love them, whose house is never clean, who has a career she loves, whose husband is her best friend, and who takes time for herself, to the benefit of everyone.  I'm a mother who is 55 years old (Is that right? I lose count), and who is confident in life enough to know that I know what I'm talking about.  Your house will not always be clean, and it is OK.  Take time for yourself.  You cannot do it all.

So, back to the Question - what is God really telling us?  I think God is telling us God loves us.  God's love for us does not depend on us working ourselves literally to death.  In fact, God is saying - Stop it!  Take a Sabbath.  Take a rest.  Stop trying to do all of it.  And know that when those times come that we cannot control what is happening to us, and we have to work through it even though we are to the breaking point - God is with us.