Weary

 August 12, 2023

Sometimes the day begins with exhaustion, often with no particular reason. This morning was just such a day for me. I was worn out when I went to bed last night, and when I got up this morning, I was so tired my arms and legs felt as heavy as my eyes. Five of the grandkids showed up for breakfast, so weariness had to be shoved onto the back burner while I made coffee and pancakes and Linda cooked sausages for the crew.

As soon as they left, we got in the car and drove to the Genesee Country Village outside Rochester to watch our nephews and three of their sons play vintage baseball on the village commons. They belong to a club that plays by 1885 rules and is outfitted in period uniforms of the day. A weekend tournament had been scheduled, and having watched them before, had committed to seeing them again.

Of course, that was before we were so tired. If you know Linda, you know her mantra: “Always do the right thing!” No matter how you feel about it, no matter even if others do not reciprocate, always do the right thing, and in this case, the right thing was sticking to our commitment. We did, and had a wonderful time! I got to talk with my brother as we watched his boys and grandsons play, we connected with an old friend of our sons who heads up a mission in Uganda, and had the blessing of seeing our granddaughters, Nate and Deb’s girls, all together with their cousins. 

On the way home, I got to thinking: I wasn’t tired! When we do the right thing even when we don’t initially feel like it, we get the blessing of fellowship, and God’s strength for the day. An old gospel song by Annie Johnson Flint puts it this way:

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

People often say, “God will not give you more than you can bear.” That’s not true. God often gives us more than we can bear, but he never gives us more than he can bear. When we choose Christ and his way, keeping our commitments, pushing through our weariness, fears, or just plain selfishness, we find the strength we need for the day. I found that today, and in addition, the joy of fellowship with my extended family. It’s late now, and I’m again feeling tired, but it’s accompanied by a deep satisfaction that I would have missed had I given in to this morning’s weariness.