I'm So Tired

Early in my faith walk with Christ, my love for Him pushed me to believe in Him for great things. In the name of the Lord, I proudly did things that were out of my comfort zone. I prayed ginormous prayers that only God could answer. No human effort could make them come true. I pushed past ridicule and the loss or deterioration of relationships because I was so expectant of better days.  

Years later, I noticed my leaps out of my comfort zone didn’t lead anywhere. Those ginormous prayers went unanswered, and I felt alone. Before long, fear’s ugly cousin disappointment overshadowed me. Disappointment and fear go hand in hand because disappointment causes us to hesitate to do things out of fear of disappointment. Ultimately, disappointment led me to live a guarded, pessimistic lifestyle in the exact opposite direction of my faith walk. 

Unfortunately, disappointment leads to pessimism, which wreaks havoc on our energy and leaves us mentally and physically exhausted. The dictionary defines pessimism as a tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen, a lack of hope or confidence in the future. When we carry the burden of pessimism, it will eventually become more than we can bear. 

Proverbs 4:23 NIV states, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” I really like this same verse in the NCV, which says, “Be careful what you think because your thoughts run your life.” This aligns with what Jesus said in Matthew 15:17-20 NLT, “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” I gathered from all of this that our thoughts can ruin our lives. 

But God, in all his patience and mercy, tells us what we can do. 

• Isaiah 40:31 NIV, “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 faint.” 

• Romans 12:12 NIV, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

• Galatians 6:9 NIV, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

• Hebrews 10:6 NIV, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

• Matthew 6:33-34 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow…”

• Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock.”

When I studied these scriptures, I saw that we are to maintain hope and not give up. We are to persevere, seek God first, and do what the Word says. And when life seems too overwhelming, Jesus says this to us:

• Matthew 11:28-30 NIV, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Note that Jesus didn’t just say come, hang out, and have a pity party. He said to come AND learn from Him. As we begin to do what God has already asked us to do in His Word and put those things into practice, our relationship with Him will grow stronger. We will experience the peaceful rest Jesus intends us to have in Him. Amen!