Tired?

(photo courtesy of emortgageblog.com)

Tired. That’s the first, and frankly, only word that’s coming to mind right now. Who wants to read a blog post about being tired? We’re all tired of being tired, aren’t we?

Sometimes I don’t want to look for the cause of it – nor for a remedy for it. I just want to go upstairs and succumb to the voice of my bed calling me.

But even in my weariness, my ever churning brain begs to ask, why?

Sometimes it’s our diet, our lack of exercise, the side effect of a medication we’ve begun taking – it could be any number of things.

Sometimes the body just needs more rest than we’re giving it.

But, sometimes, it’s from carrying around burdens we were never meant to carry in the first place.

Two scriptures come to mind:

1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV): “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all our anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Our cares, or anxieties, become like a bag of heavy rocks we drag around with us, constantly making it harder to take another step. If God meant for us to haul those thing around ourselves, He’d have built us more like a horse or pack mule. Because He cares for us, He does the caring and carrying FOR us.

I painted this scripture on our bedroom wall, since it’s generally in our bedroom that I do my resting. (It got painted over, I need to put it up there again!)

Mark 6:31 (NIV): “…he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quietplace and get some rest."

Taking a little liberty, I changed the word ‘said’ to the word ‘whispers’ and the word ‘them’ to ‘me’ – making it personal, because my relationship with Jesus is a personal one.

Soon, I’m taking a week-long trip where I’ll be completely by myself for most of that week. I look forward to going with God to a quiet place and getting some rest. I’m excited about casting my cares on Him in a new and telling way during this week. I expect to write as many blog posts as I can during this quiet time with Him, taking note of all He shows me, though I may not share them all here.

I challenge you to find the time God has already etched out for you to spend with Him, quietly resting before Him, or digging into His Word – however He leads you, and cast off that heavy bag of rocks.

Then tell me how He lightens your load!