Monday's Musings - Do Not Grow Weary?

by Mary Denman

My weary daughter, sleeping...

In the past year, I have to admit, I've grown pretty weary. And it's not a fun place to be. 

Especially if you only remember the first half of a verse: "Do not grow weary..."

So I decided to track down the verse and get it straight. Was I ever relieved! 


What the verse in Galatians 6:9 actually says is: And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (KJV)

And I found 2 Thessalonians 3:13 (ESV): As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.

See the part I missed? Don't grow weary in doing good. 

You see, I lost my mom and father-in-law two weeks apart in May 2013. Then, my eldest daughter's wedding (YAY!) two weeks later and two open rotator cuff surgeries 6 months apart in 2013. (Yes, the same shoulder, but this last surgery finally fixed it!) 

If that wasn't enough to make me weary, add the long recovery, migraines, an abscessed tooth, and other dental issues with high levels of pain. Which is what I'm dealing with now. 

Oh, and don't forget I'm a mom with kids - 4 of whom are at home. And, hubby had to change jobs this year which he wasn't expecting. (He's still with the same company. The project he had worked on for a year and a half ended abruptly.)


Yep, some days I just want to pull the covers over my head. 

But I don't. Unless I really just need to rest. 

I did that a lot while recovering from the last shoulder surgery. I watched a lot of television and played on my phone. And I didn't feel guilty. Which is a stretch for me. I feel guilt regularly. 

I knew how hard a recovery I had. And I finally wondered to myself, "Why do I keep pushing to get back to life?" Because that's what we're trained to do. Keep going no matter what. 

It hit me then. I had been through enough emotional and physical pain over the prior year that there was no sane reason for me to hurry up and do things that made my shoulder sore and pain-filled. If I had listened to a friend describe a year of her life like mine, I would have told her to take it easy and rest after the surgery. I would have encouraged her to not put so much pressure on herself. 

Then I applied that to me....So I stopped blogging til I could do it pain-free. I read, watched TV and played games. And that's okay for a while. When I got stronger, I added things back in to my life. But not everything. 

Being forced down made me reconsider what was important. 

My family made the top of the list. My blogging and photography came in next. I don't miss some other things I used to do. I'm keeping life a tad simpler now. 

But I still get weary. Like now. The mouth issues started in early May. It's now June 16 and the pain isn't gone. The abscessed tooth is thankfully, but the other stuff is still causing pain. 

And daily, weekly, or month-long pain makes me weary. 

Which is where the verse comes in. I may be weary of paying bills, running around with the kids, so many appointments, and the ever present pain in my life...but I don't have to grow weary of doing good. In spite of the pain.

I can love on my kids and hubby even when I don't feel well...which isn't easy to do. But I can do it. I'm actually excited about thinking about the entire verse. 

I can be weary in body. That's okay. 

But God can help me with the "not getting weary of well doing" part....

That's a job assignment I like. 

Jesus even said in Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  

In the Old Testament, we find Isaiah 40:29-31 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 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.

I'm ready for some of that! How about you?

Mary



TWEETABLE: It's Okay to Grow Weary? Here's What Makes the Difference! @MaryDenman (click to tweet)