He gives strength to the weary and increases
the power of the weak.
Isaiah 40:29 NIV
Are you feeling
weary today? I think I can see weariness peeking out from under your tired smile,
friend.
So many of us
struggle with weariness in our fast-paced lives. We don’t make time to care for
ourselves or our souls, because too many other important, urgent needs call for
our attention. We moms can be the absolute worst at "faking fine" to
cover over our weariness.
I’m feeling weary
as I write these words. A week of too many transitions (hello, back to school)
has finally caught up with me this Thursday evening. But I’m choosing to seek
out God’s strength even as I type.
When We Are Weak, He is Strong
The fact is, when
I’m weakest, that’s when God’s strength shows up best. Because he calls me to
serve, whether it’s by making supper for my family or writing one more devotion,
he provides the strength to push through. His strength, not mine.
If God is calling
you, he is equipping you. He gives you strength through the power of the Holy
Spirit, who lives and moves inside you if you believe what the Bible says is
true. He gives you one more burst of energy to read to your children, clean up
the counter or savor a few minutes with your husband.
Affirmation for Weary Moms
I’m past the weariest
stage of mothering when my children were 4, 2 and newborn—those first few
months of baby #3 are a bit of a blur. Yet each stage of “momming,” as Ruth
Schwenk says in her wonderful book The
Better Mom, is full of both joys and weariness.
Ten years later, I’m
still tired—more in my soul than in my physical body. The temptations to
worry are bigger with two tweens and one teen. The conversations are more
challenging. The prayers are more fervent, and I wonder if I’m forgetting to
teach them something.
I’m wondering if I’ll
have enough time to tell them everything I need to say—because I turn into a
pumpkin at 9:00 p.m. while they’re just hitting their energy stride.
Still, when I
prioritize my daily times of prayer, worship, and counting my blessings, I feel
stronger for the battles ahead. When I shoot up an arrow prayer in a time of
weakness or weariness, I feel God wrapping his arms around me to lift me up. He
empowers me, even after a long day, to keep serving, loving and ministering.
Four Ways God Grants Strength to the Weary
Here are four main
ways God gives me strength when I’m weary:
He slows me down.
Sometimes my
weariness is my own fault. I push myself too hard and take on too many responsibilities.
My tiredness is a blessing, because it forces me to rest so I can gain strength
for the next day. Have you considered your fatigue or weariness to be a
blessing in this way?
He encourages me.
Those little tasks
that all of us moms do—they matter to God, even though no one else notices and
the tasks wear us out. When I’m folding towels or bagging up trash, I hear God
saying, “This is holy work in my eyes.” His encouragement lifts my spirits when
I’m weary of the tasks.
He gives me perspective.
Weary seasons don’t
last forever. When I feel like a season of challenge is never-ending, God
grants me perspective. He helps me reflect on past seasons of difficulty and
reminds me that he carried me through them, just as he’s carrying me now. He’s
doing the same for you in your weary season.
He grants refreshment to my
soul.
Spending time just
with God in prayer and praise strengthens my soul. This is the best kind of
self-care. Usually, when I’m feeling most weary, it’s because I’ve forgotten to
spend that one-on-one time with him. Maybe you need some one-on-one time with
God to feel stronger too.
How does God give
you strength when you are weary, friend?
If you enjoyed this post, please share on Twitter now:
Feeling
Weary? Here's Strength For You
Have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings and God's peace to you,
Photo from Canva.com
Reflection questions:
1. What is your #1 source of weariness?
2. How can you find strength in God for this source of weariness?
Such a welcome reminder, Sarah! Even moms like me who are in the empty-nest years need to keep these truths in mind. Oh, and just an FYI, the "Click to Tweet" button took me away from this site. Don't know if there's a way to "tweak" that or not, but didn't know if you all knew! Blessings to all!
ReplyDeleteThanks for alerting me to the tweet problem, Beth. I'll work on that in the next post. I'm glad my post resonated with you even though you don't have kids at home anymore!
DeleteThanks for this encouragement, Sarah. I can feel weary when I am on the go too much. The Lord reminds me that he made us to need rest, and that I don't need to feel guilty when I pursue rest.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes feel guilty about it too, Lisa. Thanks for reminding me that I don't need to feel guilty about it but simply seek God's rest.
ReplyDeleteRight, now I have weariness coming from situations beyond my control: a husband having surgery; a mother recovering from surgery; and a grandbaby recovering from a near death incident. I am so glad weariness only last a season and I can rest on the scripture that He will not try me with more than I can bear. Thanks for sharing with us on the #LMMLinkup this week.
ReplyDelete