Monday, October 16, 2023

Are You Weary?

 

By Andrea Merrell


The man (we’ll call him Jake) was spent. Exhaustion claimed him as he fell into a deep depression.

Jake was a go-getter. A workaholic. He needed to stay constantly busy but had a tendency to do things for the wrong reason. While his job claimed most of his time, church work took up the rest. Everything he did was good, but his family life suffered as well as his physical, mental, and even spiritual well-being. There was no sense of balance in his life.

When we, as they say, burn the candle at both ends, the candle doesn’t last long. We become weary. Everything in our life suffers. Weariness can cause us to make poor decisions, withdraw from every healthy relationship and situation, or just simply give up.

The Bible tells us not to grow weary or lose heart while doing good. So, how do we keep from falling prey to weariness? The answer is found in Matthew 11:28 where Jesus invites us to come to Him. The Message puts it this way:

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me, and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

What I’ve learned over the years is that not every good thing is a God thing. We can get so busy working for God that we forget to spend time with God. Or we forget about Him completely.

God invites us to take His hand and walk with Him. Work with Him. Rest with Him. To experience those unforced rhythms of grace.

Are you weary? Turn to the Lord. He is always ready to restore and refresh.

 


Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and imagerymajestic.

 


 

4 comments:

  1. Matt. 11:28 has been a "go to" for me. It's not just the invitation to come but what I do when I arrive- take His yoke to let Him lead me, and learn. Thanks for a great reminder to deal with our weariness even in doing "good" things,

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    1. Thanks, Marilyn. I think truly resting in Him is one of the hardest things for us to master.

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  2. Thank you, friend. Just what I needed today. 🩷

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