Have you ever been out with your children, and you hear a little voice saying
"Mummy, can we go home, my legs hurt!"???
We were out just the other day, and I heard it, for the umpteenth time in my life.
Probably the gazillionth, actually. (You don't know what gazillions are? Shame on you...)
It's a lot.
I don't know about you, but I end up turning into someone like a cross between a middle-aged sergeant major and a motivational speaker.
"Come on now, you need to just keep going. I can't walk for you, and you have no choice but to walk. You CAN do it. You are SOOOO strong, and I just KNOW you will get there, and your legs won't fall off in the process. Come on - be brave."
Then ensues some kind of fun marching song, such as
"Left, left, left, right, left. I left my wife and forty-two kids in a starving condition without any gingerbread. Left, left, left, right left"
(Weird, right? I learnt it 24 years ago, from some lovely American friends, whilst marching around some random backstreets of a long-forgotten English town...the name of the town I forget, the people I will NEVER forget!)
The rhyme lives on, as it gets recited to my weary, pained-leg children, at various stages of their lives.
The thing is, I can totally relate to their plight.
There are many, many days where I feel weary. Weary, for a variety of reasons.
We can feel physically weary. Right now, that's a battle for me. I have a weaning aged child (ooooh, glad I mentioned that - off to adjust my Tesco delivery order...right, done now!) Tabitha is waking more than normal, because she is getting hungrier, I think. She's over 7 months, and I reckon, despite her rather chubby appearance, I think she needs some more solid food. Lack of sleep, albeit she feeds quickly, and I get back to sleep quickly, makes me feel weary in the daytime.
We can feel weary emotionally. If we have a lot going on around us - perhaps problems within a family, or in Church, or even amongst friends. Children, and the various stages they pass through, can create an emotional fatigue. Each stage has its own challenges, emotionally. As a spouse, we can have emotions that go up and down, depending on the season of life we are in. As WOMEN, we are very emotional beings, as God has created us to be that way. It can be truly exhausting.
We can feel weary spiritually. The devil wants to attack us, on every front. Last weekend, at our service of thanksgiving, we were reminded of the devil, and his wiles. We need to be ready to fight, and fighting is exceedingly tiring. The devil is always attacking, so we are always fighting weariness on that front. He attacks our marriages, our families, our choices, our minds.
We can especially feel weariness setting in, whilst doing what God wants us to do. God leads us all down different paths. Not two of us share the same situations - and that includes within a marriage, never mind the wider circle of acquaintances. Our home life, raising our children, making decisions on a day-to-day basis, fighting for our marriages. All seeking God's ways. There are times when we just feel like throwing in the towel, because the Spiritual life is not easy. We are doing exactly what God wants us to do, and yet it's HARD. Doing the right thing is often a difficult path to walk.
We are promised no less, however. On top of that, we are told NOT to grow weary, in well doing.
There's a reason for it, and it is such a joyous prospect.
So long as we are doing what we should first.
Sowing the spiritual, and not to the flesh. Pleasing God, not men. Seeking first the Kingdom of God, not the dominion of earthly things. God first, ever and always.
THEN, that joyous prospect - in due season WE SHALL REAP, if we faint not.
DON'T GIVE UP, dear sister. Whatever God has called you to, don't faint. All that effort you are putting in, to serve the Lord faithfully, will reap harvest in time. We will see why the labour was necessary - maybe not today, or tomorrow, next month, or year - maybe only when our race is run.
The Lord will renew our strength. (Isaiah 40:31)
The Lord will give grace and glory. (Psalm 84:11)
The Lord will give you peace. (Psalm 29:11)
The Lord will deliver us in troubled times. (Psalm 41:1)
We will reap.
Don't give up.
"Mummy, can we go home, my legs hurt!"???
We were out just the other day, and I heard it, for the umpteenth time in my life.
Probably the gazillionth, actually. (You don't know what gazillions are? Shame on you...)
It's a lot.
I don't know about you, but I end up turning into someone like a cross between a middle-aged sergeant major and a motivational speaker.
"Come on now, you need to just keep going. I can't walk for you, and you have no choice but to walk. You CAN do it. You are SOOOO strong, and I just KNOW you will get there, and your legs won't fall off in the process. Come on - be brave."
Then ensues some kind of fun marching song, such as
"Left, left, left, right, left. I left my wife and forty-two kids in a starving condition without any gingerbread. Left, left, left, right left"
(Weird, right? I learnt it 24 years ago, from some lovely American friends, whilst marching around some random backstreets of a long-forgotten English town...the name of the town I forget, the people I will NEVER forget!)
The rhyme lives on, as it gets recited to my weary, pained-leg children, at various stages of their lives.
The thing is, I can totally relate to their plight.
There are many, many days where I feel weary. Weary, for a variety of reasons.
We can feel physically weary. Right now, that's a battle for me. I have a weaning aged child (ooooh, glad I mentioned that - off to adjust my Tesco delivery order...right, done now!) Tabitha is waking more than normal, because she is getting hungrier, I think. She's over 7 months, and I reckon, despite her rather chubby appearance, I think she needs some more solid food. Lack of sleep, albeit she feeds quickly, and I get back to sleep quickly, makes me feel weary in the daytime.
(A smiling face like that melts thoughts of a disturbed night away - until something happens to test your patience, and you remember you ARE tired...)
We can feel weary emotionally. If we have a lot going on around us - perhaps problems within a family, or in Church, or even amongst friends. Children, and the various stages they pass through, can create an emotional fatigue. Each stage has its own challenges, emotionally. As a spouse, we can have emotions that go up and down, depending on the season of life we are in. As WOMEN, we are very emotional beings, as God has created us to be that way. It can be truly exhausting.
We can feel weary spiritually. The devil wants to attack us, on every front. Last weekend, at our service of thanksgiving, we were reminded of the devil, and his wiles. We need to be ready to fight, and fighting is exceedingly tiring. The devil is always attacking, so we are always fighting weariness on that front. He attacks our marriages, our families, our choices, our minds.
We can especially feel weariness setting in, whilst doing what God wants us to do. God leads us all down different paths. Not two of us share the same situations - and that includes within a marriage, never mind the wider circle of acquaintances. Our home life, raising our children, making decisions on a day-to-day basis, fighting for our marriages. All seeking God's ways. There are times when we just feel like throwing in the towel, because the Spiritual life is not easy. We are doing exactly what God wants us to do, and yet it's HARD. Doing the right thing is often a difficult path to walk.
We are promised no less, however. On top of that, we are told NOT to grow weary, in well doing.
There's a reason for it, and it is such a joyous prospect.
So long as we are doing what we should first.
Sowing the spiritual, and not to the flesh. Pleasing God, not men. Seeking first the Kingdom of God, not the dominion of earthly things. God first, ever and always.
THEN, that joyous prospect - in due season WE SHALL REAP, if we faint not.
DON'T GIVE UP, dear sister. Whatever God has called you to, don't faint. All that effort you are putting in, to serve the Lord faithfully, will reap harvest in time. We will see why the labour was necessary - maybe not today, or tomorrow, next month, or year - maybe only when our race is run.
The Lord will renew our strength. (Isaiah 40:31)
The Lord will give grace and glory. (Psalm 84:11)
The Lord will give you peace. (Psalm 29:11)
The Lord will deliver us in troubled times. (Psalm 41:1)
We will reap.
Don't give up.
Great post, Caroline!
ReplyDeleteI'm not reading blogs as much as I'd like, but it's always fun to catch up! I really enjoy your admonitions!
My older boys were on your side of the pond earlier this year, and I wondered if they'd be able to happen thru your town and visit your church on a Sunday! Didn't seem to work out. They did get to Oxford and Warwick (isn't that rather close???) but they had a busy few days during that part of their trip......
It did work for them to meet up w/ Kirsteen and her family on one of the Sundays they were abroad..
So fun to meet other believers - and on the other side of the world seems very special!
Well, I'm off to read a few more of your posts!
Have a lovely day!
Hi Keri! I haven't been blog reading for so long .... now the blogging part of my brain seems to have wakened up again :)
ReplyDeleteCaroline, I love the marching rhyme! So funny .... and yes, sometimes that's just the kind of rhyme I need when basic housework is needing done and I am *tired* - maybe physically, or just mentally and emotionally.... not sure which is harder to deal with!
Anne x