I am currently writing this post while my eyes droop from weariness. The baby did not nap at all today and neither did Dory. Things spilled, meals had to be made, and attitudes needed adjusting. My body aches from the exercise video I did this morning and all the thoughts swimming in my head threaten to incapacitate my mental status.

I am tired.

My husband took one look at me during meal-time tonight and urged me to seek some solitude and respite in our bedroom after dinner. While sounds of my family clearing up dinner and my husband joking with the children reached my ears, I dug into God’s word. Hunger for something that will touch my soul and share the comfort only He can give caused me to turn to the back of my Bible to search for the word “weary.” The day of motherhood had all but spent me and I needed encouraging.

Galatians 6:9 was my first stop. “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Let us not grow weary? Surely Paul was jesting. This life is full of illness and physical stress. We are mere mortals. And yes. We do grow weary. It is beyond us to not grow weary.

Confused by this verse I turned to Mr. Webster’s 1828 dictionary. I looked up the definitions for “weary.” At first glance I read: “Having the strength much exhausted by toil or violent exertion; tired; fatigued.” That did not ease my confusion because again, we are physical human beings who will become tired and fatigued. I moved on. Ah. And that definition hit the nail right on the head:

“Having the patience exhausted, or the mind yielding to discouragement.”

Oh my. Can I just say this now and get it out of the way?

I have botched this part of the Christian life big time. I have allowed the stress that comes from being mom and wife and stay-at-home-mom exhaust my patience. I have yielded to discouragement and have become angry at times. My children have seen happy, content, purposeful and patient mom. They have also seen momzilla. My hope has strayed from dependence on my heavenly Father’s strength to trying to buckle up my circumstances with my own strength.

Inevitably I fail under the weight of that which I cannot bare. The laundry and dishes and home school and cooking and cleaning and crying and fighting overwhelm me to the point of not only physical exhaustion but exhaustion of all patience. And I know I am not the only one who follows this road at times. I know you do, too.

Friends, what can we do instead? The best thing I can do is point you to the cross. Make sure your days are spent in pleasing our Savior. Then “do the next thing” and obey what He has set for you to do! Only then will you find that yes, yes this life is exhausting, but He will reward you for not losing heart. Obey Him, follow the commands set before you, and press on.

Believe me. It is so worth it.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. -Hebrews 12:1-2

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