Tired

The other night I had the chance to talk with a friend who I hadn't seen in several months. She and her husband have four boys age 2 to 6 and she works full time as a teacher in a neighboring school district. Her husband is a stay-at-home dad. We were talking, in part, about the joys and trials of parenting four young, energetic, busy boys and the word they each kept coming back to was "tired." It's just tiring to do this type of parenting.

And it's tiring to care for elderly parents, or to hold down multiple jobs, or to be a single parent supporting your family, or to be looking for work - still - and again.... or..... any number of things. Some say being tired is just a part of life today. Maybe it is, but I don't think God intended it to be that way.

Psalm 62 has been speaking to me this week and I share it with you with this prayer that for whatever tired places you have in your life, you would trust God with them.

⁵ Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.

⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

⁸ Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge. (NIV)

Hear again these words of encouragement and hope from Isaiah:

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (Isa. 40 NIV)

Jesus, you said when we are weary and heavy laden we should come to you. You said that when we cast all our cares upon you that you will lift us up. You promised that we would not succumb to the cares, pressures, or tired-ness of this world, but that when we trust in you we would know your peace. So, we trust in your promises and pray you would be our Rock, that you would strengthen us, that you would ease our weariness and help us to discern what of our "busy-ness" we can release. Be our peace we pray....Amen.