Skip to main content

Wait

             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)

 

            Tonight, I need this passage to be true. Yes, “tonight.” None of the verses or passages I’ve looked at since this morning have inspired me, and it’s almost time for me to work on my story. I had a short but very long day at work because I’m tired. I’m not the only one. I’ve heard several complaints. I’ve folded more than 1250 boxes since last Monday, and it wasn’t because there wasn’t anything to do. We’ve gone through lots of boxes. I’m weary.

            I read through several translations and paraphrases of this verse. In some (like the NIV above), it sounds as if the one who hopes in the Lord will do what is necessary to regain their strength. In others, it seems more as if their strength will be renewed by God. In some, they have to hope in the Lord. In others, they have to wait for the Lord to act. I suspect the reality is that in both cases, it’s both. We have to act, and God has to act. We have to wait and hope.

            One of the hard things about today is that yesterday was wonderfully productive. This week has been productive. But that productivity has prices. One is weariness. Another is the letdown when the next day doesn’t match or exceed the productive day. Perhaps that’s something we should note about weariness. It’s not just tiredness. There’s a sense of disappointment. We’re not living up to our expectations. Trying harder just isn’t doing it. Sleep doesn’t really fix it. I don’t find anything online that agrees with me but I suspect that weariness, especially prolonged weariness, is a symptom of burnout unless one learns to wait.

            According to one source, “burnout” involves spinning your tires and going nowhere – but creating the sort of friction that can destroy those tires. That’s sort of what happens if we don’t wait. If we keep trying to do everything without waiting for God, we’re spinning our wheels. I didn’t invent the metaphor, but it works.  If we do it hard enough or for long enough, we’ll be unable to move because our tires will be tattered. And then we’ll have no choice but to wait until God gives us the mental and physical health we have lost.

            I suspect it’s better if we wait by choice than by necessity.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more