End of the rope

Personal Photo: Just a bud of hope can make a big difference in tackling the weariness of the world; That hope always sprouts from the Lord :)

Anyone else have a hectic week? As I sit here and write this, I find myself a bit frazzled from the chaos of the past five days; I have started my new job, learning everything and anything I can about an industry I have no experience in, adjusting to a new schedule, trying to keep up with housework, and I am relying heavily on the principle of giving grace while I work my way into a routine that is so unfamiliar to me currently. Thank God for quick dinners, hot showers, and the snooze button in the morning for ten more minutes of shuteye.

However, the exhaustion of my week really pushed me in ways I was not expecting. I was not only trying to catch up, but the continuous feeling of just simply not knowing really caught up with me. To add to it, Clay worked crazy hours this week, so he was struggling to make it to the weekend as well. By the afternoon on Friday, I was feeling my metaphorical rope getting frayed at the ends. By the time I made it home, I was ready for a glass of wine and some comfy clothes.

I feel as though all of us understand the feeling of exhaustion; the way that we can't do one more thing, that we have hit our limit, that we need to step back and take a breather before giving it another go. We balance so many things all the time, like work, school, family, friends, significant others, travel plans, health concerns, and so much more. We have places to be and things with deadlines and catching up to do. It can feel as though we are limping and bruised by the expectations of life by the time we get a breather. With this in mind, I thought that my extremely hectic week might resonate with you. Maybe you are working on some adjustments in your life too and can understand where I am coming from. The topic of exhaustion is not a foreign one (as I touched on it in my article entitled "Insert your batteries correctly") but I also think it is important to never miss a chance to let God tie a knot when we are at the end of our rope.

I find it also necessary to recognize here that exhaustion can be caused by both positive and negative sources; we can be exhausted and excited at the same time, just like we can be worn out and sad simultaneously too. Regardless, we have all met with the weariness of the week (or month, or year, etc.) and found that we struggle to keep our composure, fight for patience, and white-knuckle our energy to get to our next break. When we get to this point, it can be difficult for us to look to God. He isn't a bed for us to lay in and sleep, He isn't an extension on a work project that we have, He isn't the maid who does all of our housework and He isn't a babysitter to miraculously show up at your door to take the kids for a night. No, God doesn't solve all of our problems in the blink of an eye and make our lives stress-free and easy. However, God does promise that "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" (Isaiah 40:31). With this being said, I want to explore the ways in which our exhaustion can serve as a chance for us to recognize the opportunity to find strength in the Lord and find inspiration in our faith in Him.

When we consider how God might not magically solve all of our problems for us, He does make sure to give us the tools we need to remain hopeful in Him. This tool that He provides us is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is what sparks that hope in our hearts when all things seem lost. Hope is at the core of faith in Christ; when we lose hope, we have stopped looking at God. To relate this to our exhaustion, we can often find we just have nothing left to give anyone or anything. In this way, we can realize that losing hope often goes hand in hand with our exhaustion. When we are so weary that we want to give up, it is another way of saying that we have taken our eyes off of the Lord and lost hope in Him to give us the strength and energy to keep going. Now, I want to be clear that my message is not that we are superhuman; no, we can't conquer Rome in a day. However, I am saying that when we remain hopeful in God, we simultaneously find ourselves growing stronger. The Isaiah quote that I mentioned earlier is the core of this article and it directly states how hoping in the Lord refreshes our energy and strengthens our faith. Similarly, Romans 15:13 tells us "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." To build upon the metaphorical rope that I referenced above, this Bible verse is the representation of God tying the knot when we are at the end of our rope. When it starts to fray, when the exhaustion of the world is starting to cause us to unravel, lose our patience, make us feel anxious, increase our stress, and so on, when we remind ourselves to remain hopeful in God, we can harbor peace in our souls and find the strength and power to continue the weary journey of life.

Philippians 4:13 reminds us also that "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Truth be told, Bible verses about finding strength in the Lord are abundant, but why. The reason why is because people have always become exhausted. Humans wear down, grow weary, face the devil's temptations, handle heartbreaking realities of living in this world, and more. How often do you walk away from reading the news feeling better about the world and the people living in it? I am willing to bet it is a rare occasion. It all wears on us. It can be hard to remain hopeful in society, which is why we only find a lasting difference in our strength and in our peace when we stop putting our hope and faith in society and when we begin putting in in the Lord. It makes a difference. 1 Corinthians 13-14 tells us to "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love." When we break down this verse, every instruction is reminding us to keep God at the core of the goal. It is saying that we can accomplish all of these tasks when we keep our eyes on the Lord and our faith in Him. The strength it takes to stand firm in our faith, be courageous and strong, and do everything in love can only be found in God, as we cannot stand up to the exhausting challenges thing bring with it alone. When we utilize the gift of the Holy Spirit to keep us hopeful in God, we see that we have the ability to conquer any exhausting task and earthly temptation thrown our way with the strength we find in the Lord.

Remaining hopeful in God to renew our strength is the key to tackling every day and not growing weary from the exhaustion that we face. However, I want to build upon this to consider what it means to keep our eyes on God and finding strength in Him to overcome our weariness. I found the answer to what this means in 2 John 16:33: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." This verse is the reason we remain hopeful in the Lord when we keep our eyes fixed on Him. It is how we are able to handle the weariness of our day-to-day and the difficult moments of exhaustion when we feel as though our rope is unraveling. God's love and our hope in Him will tie the knot at the end of our rope, keep us from giving into our exhaustion, and renew our strength so that we can remain faithful to Him. Keeping our eyes on God is equivalent to focusing on what He has promised His children, what He is capable of doing, and remaining steadfast in His understanding of eternal love and joy. He has already overcome all of the things that are trying to tear us apart and wear us down to the bone; knowing this allows us to find refuge in Him and His power.

When we begin to unravel, when we feel the exhaustion creeping into our hearts and minds like smoke in the lungs of a forest, we can use the powerful tool that has been given to us: The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will remind us to fix our eyes on the Lord and find strength in Him. When we do this, when we recognize our exhaustion and seek God to replenish our souls, we can remember that God has promised us that "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze" (Isaiah 43:2). God doesn't always make our problems and exhaustion go away, but He always provides us the tools and the ability to come to Him to be replenished and strengthened. God's strength is amazing; and when we find our own strength through Him, we can handle any challenge of weariness and walk away from it feeling inspired by the hope and power found in Christ.