Are You Feeling Weary?

How are you? Good?

No, I mean how are you really doing?

Let’s start off by admitting that a lot has gone down this past year and it’s impacted us in some way or another. When we find ourselves adapting from one day to the next in the midst of a pandemic, election year, plus whatever you may be personally walking through, we can be easily distracted from checking in on how are hearts are actually doing. Has your heart felt heavy lately? Sometimes the feeling of weariness is found camouflaged under the busyness.

Dictionary.com defines weary as “physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion, strain, etc.; fatigued; tired.”

Many of us have felt the weight of weariness either physically, mentally, spiritually… or even ALL of the above. And if you can’t relate, I know you can’t deny that you have felt the stress of the people around you. I mean, they’ve even coined the term COVID Fatigue for those exhausted from being cooped up at home and on ZOOM too much. We’ve witnessed people respond in hysteria from the dramatic changes this year has held (need I say, toilet paper?) as well as see suicide, anxiety, depression, and divorce rates sky rocket. So when we are faced with the weariness that a fallen world holds before us, how do we respond?

I, by no means think I have all the answers on how to deal with the weariness that you might be facing. Should you drink water, get enough rest, eat well, exercise, pray, read the Word, see a counselor, and be in close Christian community? Sure! These are all great, but I’m not here to give you a check list. Instead, I’m sharing some takeaways the Lord has taught me in the midst of the seasons where I felt the weariness creep in and I pray they encourage you.

Escaping won’t produce maturity.

Am I the only one whose prayed for the craziness of 2020 to quickly come to an end much more than asking God how to walk through it well? The world has had the rug pulled from beneath it and people are stuck at home to face their overwhelming thoughts. When we can’t flee by travel we escape mentally with overconsumption of video games, work, Netflix, drugs, online shopping, whatever the fix. Escaping keeps us stuck and it does not fix our weariness, if anything it numbs it. Escaping the reality of what is before you will hinder the maturity process that God is eager to produce in you.

“Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4

Instead of going numb from weariness, ask yourself “What is it that God is looking to produce in you as He molds us to look more like Jesus through the difficulties we face here and now?” Is it Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, or Self-Control? Instead of escaping the difficult process before us, what would it look like if we made space to get away with the Lord more often? God does not want you to walk through this alone. What would our lives look like if we got to know Him more personally in the midst of our weariness and trusted that by depending upon His strength in our weakness- He would produce something far better in us?

Drop the burdens.

“‘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.’” Matthew 11:28-30, The Message (MSG)

In today’s world it is so easy to slip into a survival mode rhythm of depending on yourself even to the point of complete wearied exhaustion. When we strive in our own strength we pile up burdens of fear, stress, and worry that we aren’t suppose to carry. Our flesh does not like to admit we are weak or repent for depending upon ourselves. Yet, for our good and His glory- God calls us to be set-apart. It is good to turn from depending on our limited selves and turn to our great and mighty God who loves and cares for us so deeply. Christ calls us to come to Him, drop the self-righteous burdens that leave us weary and find real rest in the reality of the gospel. Resting in all that Christ is and all that He has accomplished should make our hearts explode with praise! As we walk with Him daily we will see Him empower us to live for Him from the position of freedom that He fully secured for us.

Our hope is placed somewhere, is yours secure?

When our hope is set upon things like how successful we are, how happy and healthy our families are, or how loved we are by others, we find ourselves hopeless and in despair when those things fall apart. The times where I have found myself the most weary was when what I was actually putting my hope in (myself, life circumstances, or other humans) failed me. The truth I found through the heartbreak I walked myself into over the years is that there is no one better at being God than God himself and that there is no one or thing better to place my trust and hope in than Christ.

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,” Hebrews 6:19

Look around you, this world is in desperate need of a secure hope, not a false hope that is here today and gone tomorrow. I’m not going to lie to you, you will most likely face more difficulties on this side of Heaven, it won’t be a cake walk from here on out (If anything the sanctifying and maturity God is working in you now will only prepare you for what is next). But here’s the catch, this earth is not our home, the brokenness and weariness all around us will not last forever, and there is nothing that can change what Christ accomplished on that cross 2,000 years ago. This hope we have in Christ is secure and eternal. Friends, be encouraged! We are rich in Christ, we have gained so much in Him, He is here now fully accessible and ready for us to walk with and depend on. With eager expectation we can look forward to the day that Christ will return and make everything right. The weariness that this world holds will not have the final word, He has overcome it all.