February 17, 2020

It’s Okay to Rest

But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!”

– 1 Kings 19:5b

Sometimes we just need to rest. We’re so busy doing life, serving the LORD, taking care of the endless demands of others, that we find ourselves empty, frustrated, angry.

Have you been there? Are you there now? It seems as though this season will never end. We can’t see God so we try harder, pray longer, serve better. And, yet, all it seems to do is increase both our anxiety and our fatigue.

God invites us to rest. The world may try to insist that we remain on the treadmill but God says we can take a break. God says we can come to Him for nourishment and strength.

Elijah had done everything God asked of him. He’d stood firm in his faith. He’d prayed for rain and it came. Elijah was God’s servant and because he obeyed, others saw God’s mighty power.

And then, after it was all over, Jezebel vows to have Elijah killed and he just fell apart. He was done. He wanted to die. Aren’t we like that sometimes? We’ve stood strong and then that one more thing, that one more comment, that one more demand sends us over the edge and we are done.

Take a moment. Sleep. Eat. Pray. Meditate on God’s Word. You don’t have to be a superhero, no matter what the world tells you. You can say no to the endless demands. You can retreat into the safety of God’s arms.

God created us to do amazing things. But, as our Creator, God knows just how fragile and frail we really are. Today if you find yourself overwhelmed, turn toward God. He is your strength and your life source. With Him you will find nourishment. The journey ahead is filled with challenges. Recharge yourself – then move forward into your calling.

May 14, 2016

Take It To Jesus Today

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -- Matthew 11:28-30

Some days I sit down late at night, so exhausted I just want to have a good cry, and try to remember where my day went. I was busy all day long and yet I didn’t seem to accomplish anything.

Have you ever been there? Do you know what I’m talking about?

I cooked. I washed dishes. I drove others to various destinations. I did laundry. I counted cows. I fed geese and dogs. I mowed grass. I watered flowers. I cleaned and bandaged a hurt toe on someone else. I sorted medicines. I helped make homemade jelly and then cleaned up the kitchen -- again. Oh, and I tried to complete a painting so I could earn a little money.

Yes, I am tired. What did you do today? I’m betting that while the tasks were different, for at least some of you the day was equally as long. I am a caregiver for two elderly adults. You might by a young mom with small children who is juggling a job and everything else. You could be a man working overtime to help his child pay for college. We all have our stories and we all get tired from life’s demands.

Jesus said to come to Him and He will give us rest. I need that, don’t you? I need to be covered in peace and grace, to rest in His embrace, so that I can recharge enough to do it all again tomorrow.

So many times we try to do it all ourselves. We don’t want to take time from the little bit we have to spend with Jesus. We tell ourselves that somehow tomorrow will come with more of that special thing called time. Except it doesn’t because tomorrow is like today and the day after.

What happens when we don’t recharge in the arms of Jesus? What happens to our souls, our peace, our strength, when we don’t take time to rest in Him? Sooner or later there just won’t be anything left. Nothing. And we’ll become empty shells of who God intended us to be.

We were built with an inner longing to know and worship God Almighty. We can try to fill ourselves up with stuff. We can put it off. We can try to persuade ourselves that it’s not important. But we will never, ever have peace and rest until we do.

Take time today and spend it with Jesus. Then do it again tomorrow. Rest in His strength and draw from it. Find comfort in His Presence and learn from Him. He’s waiting. Don’t put it off any longer. You need Him. We all do.

January 4, 2014

Find Rest In Jesus

 

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

-- John 10:10

I am exhausted. That's not unusual. It was another busy day. Except there is a voice in the back of mind that keeps reminding me that it is Sunday. A day of rest. Not a day to be so tired.

What did I do? Attended church. Taught Sunday school. Bought lunch. Washed dishes. Completed late afternoon lesson. Led late afternoon discussion. Got home after dark. Still have family duties waiting for me. Then I can shower and fall into bed and blissful sleep. I hope.

Don't get me wrong. I have a good life. It is full of  blessings. I am grateful. I am. I just wish I wasn't so tired. I just wish the toll of this wonderful life didn't leave me too exhausted to enjoy it.

Maybe enjoyment isn't what it's all about. What is "happy" anyway? For many, it's the stuff that we fill our lives with. But for how long? Stuff won't fill that hole inside. It's momentary. Fleeting.

I consider what I would change about my day. Not much. I am doing what I love, what I believe God has called me to do. Fatigue is part of the cost and that's okay most of the time.

The other days of my life are a work in progress. This new reality that has engulfed me threatens to consume me. I am fighting it. There is a deep need for solitude that comes before everyone else has done with me for the day. There is a need for exercise and healthy eating without having to fight that battle every day. When do my needs matter to someone besides myself?

They matter to Jesus. I matter to Jesus. My weariness matters to Him. I find my strength in His words. I find my joy in His promises. And on days like this, when the fatigue seeps deep into my pours, it is where I find my rest.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Do Good Despite Fatigue

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. -- Galatians 6:9

Fatigue slowed my steps and colored my words. I was overwhelmed by needs and was ready to just give up. Who could possibly do it all? And why should I? Others vowed they would help and, yet, where were they?

It was one of those times when I would have sat down and cried if I hadn’t been so tired. Know what I mean? I think most of us have seasons like that. We know they won’t last but that doesn’t make the journey any easier.

I’ve no one to blame but myself. It was my idea. Well, no, actually it wasn’t. It was God’s idea. And it’s a good one. This ministry aimed at helping those who are older or really sick was needed. People were falling through the cracks. It was becoming more a matter of who you knew as to whether you received help from your church family or not. And that is never a good thing.

It started slowly. We had a list of names and a few volunteers. Then a few more names and a few more volunteers. The needs were simple. Organize yard work. Send out cards. Host a small birthday party. Make a few phone calls.

And then they weren’t. Because people who are sick sometimes get sicker. And people who are older sometimes get less mobile. And word gets out that you’ll help, and you will. And then there are more needs than people and there you are, trying to juggle it all and knowing deep inside that whatever you do just isn’t enough.

That’s where I was at. I sat down with my pastor and told him someone else needs to take over. Someone who can devote far more time than me but someone who also has a heart for people in need. Because that’s what it’s all about. Helping people when they need it most.

But first you have to see the needs. It’s amazing to me that so many people simply don’t. One man is an almost full-time caregiver to a wife that is battling lung and brain cancer. The “almost” is because he has to continue working to provide insurance and support them both. And yet their Sunday school class didn’t consider the need for food deliveries. They were quick to help when I mentioned it, but they hadn’t thought of it before.

And then there’s the older gentleman lovingly caring for his wife as she slips further and further behind the curtain of Alzheimer’s. People had offered to sit with his wife but he’d always said no. “How do you know if people really mean it,” he asked me. So I gathered a list of names and phone numbers of people who really meant it and gave it to him. Something simple that will make all the difference in the world to him.

We are not to get tired of doing good. We are to cast our cares onto Jesus, knowing He is strong enough for both of us. But we are also meant to share the burdens and tragedies and trials of those around us. All of us. Love our neighbors. Do good where we can. Even when we’re tired and weary.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

God Provides Strength, Gives Hope

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. -- Isaiah 40:28

I am exhausted. Really. Truly. Just exhausted. This juggling thing, which I know doesn’t work, gets harder and harder. Surely this isn’t what life is supposed to be about?

Yet, I know I’ve got it easy. I think of people in other countries who work from sunup to sundown for far less than what I have. I consider the children who never really get the chance to be children. I am blessed. I feel guilty for complaining about being so tired.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. -- Isaiah 40:29

The day began early as I headed out to work. Many hours later I returned. Errands. Dishes. Dogs. Then came the corn. Three hours later, my part was done. I was happy. The cows were happier because they got the husks. Even the dogs were thrilled because they got to run and play in the pasture.

More dishes to wash and, I thought, the end. Until someone walked in with the butterbeans. Some folks call them lima beans but in this part of the world, it’s butterbeans. They were old. And I felt guilty. Why didn’t anyone tell me last week that I needed to pick them? I know. It’s not my job nor something that is physically easy for me but sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. It’s a cliché but it’s also true.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; -- Isaiah 40:30

I guess anyone would be tired. And many people are. We are a society, a world, that is always busy, always working and playing, always checking off a to do list that seems never ending.

I long for even a day with no requirements, nothing to do, no one to satisfy, no responsibilities. I know. It’s laughable. It’s just not likely to ever happen because life isn’t like that. And, even if it were, we’d grow tired of it after a while.

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. -- Isaiah 40:31

So I lean on God. I read His Word. I pray. I depend on His strength when mine is just gone. I trust His vision for my life when fatigue clouds my eyesight and I don’t see a better day coming.

Because God is strong when I am weak. God is wise when I am uncertain. God gives me hope when I can’t see past this moment.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Living Water Awaits

“But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

-- John 4:14

Sometimes life just seems overwhelming. Do you know what I mean? It’s not that anything is particularly wrong. It’s just that the demands of everyday tasks and needs seem to drain everything out of you.

I ran into a friend the other day. Bless her heart. She just looked so tired. I ached for her because I know that feeling. She has started back to work. She wanted this job. She longed for this job. She prayed for this job. She even likes this job. But working with three kids is a whole lot different than with two kids. The juggling routine is weighing her down. She takes care of everyone’s needs but her own. She’s just too tired to do that.

My situation is totally different. It involves elderly parents, earning a living and teaching. These are all things I choose to do. Mostly it’s fine. Then someone gets sick or needy, or I get particularly busy with one job or the other, and suddenly I feel like all my balls are running loose and I can’t seem to catch them and put them back into place. It makes for funny imagery but hysteria isn’t far behind.

Most folks probably have a similar story though the details might vary. I’m sure there are one or two people who enjoy all the busyness and drama. They probably thrive on it. Not me. I’m too old and too tired. I’m long past the stage of surviving on five hours of sleep and perpetual motion. How about you?

“If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within.” -- John 7:38

I’ve learned to turn to the Bible when I’m too tired to go on. I let the words wash over me. I remember Elijah and how God sent angels to take care of him. I think of David as he hid from Saul again and again. How tiring that must have been.

As the words flow through me, I feel His peace descend over me. A calmness in knowing that I am not in control. Not ever, even when I know where all my balls are. God is in control. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I don’t have to have all the answers or meet everyone’s needs. I can trust Him with it all.

My energy returns and, with it, the ability to give out a little bit of what God has given to me. The living water inside of me cascades outward to those I encounter each day. That’s a pretty awesome thing. I don’t seem so tired, so overwhelmed. I drink my fill of Jesus and I never, ever run dry.