I’m one of those girls who has been dieting and exercising since I was about 10 years old. More from necessity than choice, if I’m being honest. Most days I love working out. Most days. Some days though? Not so much. Today was one of those days.
So, before I tell that story, you need to understand how I work out…or maybe when I work out. As previously mentioned, I am a teacher. I have to be at my post by 7:45 a.m., and I have a 40-minute commute. This means I can leave my house no later than 7:00 a.m. A couple of years ago I added daily Bible reading to my morning. Up until then, my Bible reading had been sporadic at best. I was really challenged to make that a priority, so that meant putting it first. First. As in the beginning of the day, before everything else. Now, I went hardcore on the reading (because I absolutely love to read). I think I disciplined myself to start with 30 minutes. These days, I try to spend at least an hour in my Bible every morning. I’m not going to lie- it required A LOT of discipline to get where I am now, but the minutes I spend in God’s word are life to me. Then this year I felt challenged to add prayer to my morning regimen- tally up another 15 minutes. (Please God, don’t challenge me to add anything new for a LONG time!) And then, finally, we get to working out. I try to do some form of exercise every morning for at least 30 minutes. Now here’s the problem. All of those pre-scheduled minutes add up….boy, do they add up! This is why I say hello to 3:30 a.m.- every day (and why I say good night at 8:00 p.m. a lot of the time!). Pray. Read. Work out. Shower. Relax. Drive. Teach. That is my morning.
So back to today. There I was, happily sleeping at 3:29….and then 3:30 rolled around- the same as it always does. I got up, made my coffee, tried to focus on prayer, spent an hour with my Bible, and then trudged off to find my trusty stationary bike- the same as I always do. I cued my bike up to the course I wanted (Summit Pass) and then started pedaling away. I’m pretty sure I had been riding like the wind for about a minute when a little voice whispered through my mind: “I am sooo tired”….a statement with which my body, mind, soul…every part of me….wholly agreed. You know the voice I mean, right? Now, I have heard that whisper many times before, so I know how to ignore it most days. So ignore it I did. But then, somewhere near the top of the first summit, God nudged me, causing Galatians 6:9 to roll through my brain: “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” At that point, I decided to listen (while still
pedaling of course).
So what God shared with me today wasn’t rocket science. Honestly, God knows I am not capable of such a thing at 5 a.m anyways. But what God did show me was important, essential even to fulfilling our call on this earth, to finishing our race. So here goes….Clearly, in the physical, we can grow weary while “doing good.” My Google dictionary defines weary as “feeling or showing tiredness, especially as a result of excessive exertion or lack of sleep.” I am a testament to that. Weariness in exercising. Weariness in dieting. Weariness in all of the other “good” things I dedicate my time to. The song on my heart most days is Weary- oh so weary. Anyone else singing that same song? And if you are at all like me, you know that something else is always vying for whatever minutes we have left in our day. Probably first and foremost on that list is relationships. Husband, children, grandchildren, friends….I mean, to be honest, if I’m a juggler, all the balls hit the floor the moment I walk back into my house after a long day at school. And that’s the time when the relationship part of my life is supposed to be happening. So yes, I know weary. I know weary very well.
Yet weary actually means so much more. Strong’s defines weary (ekkakew) as “to be (bad or) weak, i.e. (by implication) to fail (in heart):–faint, be weary.” A significant difference there. Yes, I am bone weary while riding my bike some days, but I’m not failing or fainting- at least not yet! Yes, I am bone weary walking into my house after a long day at school. But I’m not failing or fainting- at least not yet! And that’s what God expects from us in our spiritual life, our spiritual “work,” as well. Sure we might get tired- physically tired, emotionally tired, mentally tired-doing all the things we do, even all the things God has called us to do….but we cannot fail- we cannot faint. Because God’s promise lies in that place where we persevere, in that place where we stick to that thing we are called to do, in that place where we do not lose heart. Because it’s in that place that we shall reap.
So how, exactly, do we get to that place of reaping when we find ourselves bone weary and even soul weary? Isaiah 40:31 tells us: “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Waiting on the Lord is the answer. As simple as that. Wait on the Lord. Strong’s defines wait as “to expect:—gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon).” Watching for God to move. Expectantly looking for God to show up. Patiently waiting for Him. That’s when we will reap-if we don’t lose heart!
I will be the first to say that I am waiting on God, believing and trusting in Him, for some pretty big stuff. Family. Friends. Nation. What about you? In what areas of your life are you waiting for God to show up? Like me, I’m sure that you don’t want to find yourself becoming weary. I want to reap ALL the promises God has given me! And the only way I can successfully do that is to wait….to kick my faith into gear and watch for God to move, to wait expectantly for Him to move. And in the waiting, I have to remain in the doing too. Doing good. Whatever the good is that God has called me to do. Because He will give me the strength for the doing. Even when I’m weary. Maybe especially when I’m weary- as long as I don’t lose heart.