Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
9 Let us
not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we
will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
How many times have I read
that verse? It was only within the
last week or so that it dawned on me that this first line “Let us not become
weary…” implies that we have a choice if we are going to become
weary or not. (!)
I have
always viewed weary as tired. How can
you avoid getting tired? But as I was
walking this morning it occurred to me that we have a choice as to whether or
not we are going to “give up” and sink down into the weariness…or if we are
going to press on and finish the task with excellence.
This
realization comes along on the heels of a very difficult last few weeks for
me. I’ve been beat down and struggling
over every element of my life it seems.
Pain has been a constant companion.
It came to a head last night. I
started to kneel by my bed and I just collapsed on the floor under the weight
of it all. I felt alone. I felt bruised and beaten. I cried, I pulled my comforter over my head
and curled up in a ball. I was
done. If I had a place to go I would
have fled. It felt as if an iron door
falling into place with a loud *thunk*.
Shut down, log off, I can’t leave but I am checking out.
I was
allowing myself to sink into the weariness.
It was a ginormous pity party.
Did I have many good reasons to feel beaten down? Yes!
Was allowing myself the luxury of wallowing in the mire going to fix
it? No.
Thankfully God’s mercy is new every single morning.
James 1:2-8 (NIV)
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you
face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces
perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may
be mature and complete,
not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding
fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the
sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
Lord Jesus, thank you for
the hard things in life. Thank you for
using them to make us realize we must persevere past the temptation to give in
to weariness so that we may reap the good harvest at the proper time. We
want desperately to keep reaching for maturity and completeness in you and you
alone. We believe you for your
promises. Please forgive our
unbelief! Protect us from the enemy as
he seeks to divide us, discourage us and destroy our relationships. Protect us from the spirit of doubt that
seeks to chip away at our solid foundation.
May we never be blown and tossed by the wind this way and that. Make our foothold in you secure and strong,
stable in every storm.
Keep doing hard things. Perservere. Look for the joy in the trial. Don't allow yourself the luxury of wallowing in the weariness.
