Wearying

Our Wednesday night song leader mentioned something that had been wearying him during the night. At first I thought I misheard and he said “worrying,” but I was wrong. My mind kept coming back to how weary we can become when we worry.

I went to look for an appropriate graphic. There were several I could have used, but this one drew me in. The background is in the story of Sir (Ernest) Edward "Weary" Dunlop. Nothing is as wearying as war.

Yet, we weary ourselves daily with so much minutia. We begin as children – I don’t think it’s confined to my family! I grew up with the story of my little cousin who was told by her parents that they were moving from town to her grandparents’ dairy farm. She was distraught about leaving her friends, so to help ease that pain they told her she could have the dog she’d always wanted and she’d even have a horse. A few hours later her Mom found her on the back porch sobbing. When asked why, she explained that she was worried because the dog would chase the horse.

Most of our worries are just that – future things that may or may not happen. When something does happen, it confirms our fears that things will only get worse and we continue wearying ourselves with burdens we need not bear:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30 KJV)

This seems as another biblical contradiction – how can someone already burdened take on another yoke? Just how much are we to bear? This isn’t a mystery to those of us who have accepted Jesus as the promised Messiah and have accepted His offer. His burden of love for our fellowman is light and He has accepted our cares as His own – we are yoked with Him on an eternal journey.

I find it so sad that people are so offended by our using His name and telling His story that lawsuits are instituted to stop us from doing so. He asks so little from us in return for an eternity in His presence. The first step is given in the answer to a jailer’s question:

And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:30-31 KJV)

It is that easy – yet it isn’t. We don’t live in moments, they are connected to our lives before and after, as is this scripture. How could the jailer believe without knowing about Jesus? Paul took care of that:

And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. (Acts 16:32 KJV)

Every Christian should be able to.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (1 Peter 3:15 KJV)

There is no mention here of judgmental condemnation. If you run across a professed Christian who does so, please look elsewhere. Ask God to provide the answers. I trust that He will so there will be no more wearying.