Weary Is As Weary Does
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
Are you tired? Have you grown weary of your current struggles and burdens?
I love that Jesus is willing to meet us wherever we may be. And He offers us rest.
I did a video this week on what to do when you are low on energy. And how not only do our sleep habits and food choices play a big part in how much sustained energy we have throughout the day. But so does the amount of worry we carry on our shoulders.
We tend to grow weary when we are worried about a certain situation. When we try to control things that are outside of our control. When we depend on the world to bring us our deepest desires, instead of relying on God. When we expect everyone and everything around us to play out in a certain way so that we can feel less stress.
We grow tired when the expectations we have for a certain outcome aren’t quite being met. Goals are good – and there is nothing wrong with having a reasonable expectation of results based off of actions we take. But we grow weary when we are not staying open to God’s will and divine timing when considering those results.
When we’ve set the path of a healthy lifestyle – we can grow apathetic when things aren’t happening as quickly as we think they should. When the scale isn’t moving in the direction you hoped for. When you have to deal with the challenges presented when you stop emotionally eating. When a situation arises that throws you off track – when this weight loss stuff feels hard. Apathy turns to weariness when it’s not fun anymore – when those tough times hit.
It gets tiresome when you respond to situations in your life with resistance – fighting back against the facts of a situation. Wishing things were different instead of making the most of the situation. Resisting reality is exhausting. That’s not to say that you have to stay static in whatever is going on outside of your control – but you always have a choice of how you will show up. Can you accept the facts without resistance and grow in spite of them?
We grow weary when we yearn for people and things to change so that we can change. It’s like handing our power over to someone or something else. When we don’t take ownership of our role in our lives, when we list all of the reasons why we can’t do something instead of embracing all of the reasons why we can.
Weariness is not a place of victory. It’s not a place of empowerment. It’s a place of stagnation.
To move forward from this place requires that you hand those burdens over to God. That you move forward with enthusiasm and energy – confident in your ability to figure things out and thrive in spite of your circumstances.
We all have challenges – it’s what we do in those challenging times that define our outcome. To find rest in Him we must lay down our worries, expectations, apathy, resistance, and yearning for things outside of Him.
When you accept the challenges of life with an open heart and mind and allow these situations to grow you – then you will soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint.
