"Tired" is too tame a word. "Weary" is better. I don't know what would be best. I'm too tired to think that much. Yesterday, Linda and I double-dated with our friends Harry and Beth. Let me tell you, we know how to party! Visits to two funeral homes, with dinner following. We lost some good friends this week; paying our respects was the least we could do.
We came home after dinner, and as the evening progressed, my stomach did not. In the middle of the night, I was losing the remnants of our repast. I didn't have the sweats and chills of the flu; Harry suggested today that it might have been food poisoning. Whatever it was, I was in no shape for church this morning. But about 8:00, I was feeling better, so I got dressed and plowed the driveway. After that, it was a waiting game for the two funerals I would be leading and helping lead.
Once home, I read a bit, but my ability to focus seems a bit compromised, so I think it's time to wrap it up for the day. I am thinking about friends who have recently undergone chemotherapy. They describe the nausea and bone-weariness that accompanies the treatments, and I cannot imagine going into those treatments knowing how they will make them feel afterwards. I am humbled by their tenacity, their will to live, and their courage. I am grateful for these friends who through their suffering, demonstrate to me what it means to live in faith and hope in the face of suffering.
Years ago, a friend finally was able to return to church after months of deathly illness. She thanked the congregation for their prayers, adding that "sometimes you're so sick you can't even pray for yourself. That's when the prayers of your friends is so important." I'm not even close to that point, but know people who are, and tonight remind you to remember the sufferers of this world in your prayers. You may be the only one standing in the gap for them, and they need us. So although I'm weary, I'll remember to pray for those who are truly weary, and who are depending on their brothers' and sisters' prayers, and give thanks that I am not too tired to pray.
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