Too Weary Not To Love

" As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good."

2 Thessalonians 3:13 

Never get tired of doing good.  I love God's heart.  I love how He always encourages His children to be better than what they are.  I love how God teaches that it is better to love than to hate.  And I love how He tells us to keep on being kind to others.  

" Never stop!  Keep going!"  That's what I hear Him say in this verse.  He is our personal cheering squad.  He is our brave and daring leader.  He also never tires for any reason.

But I do.  

Some days are just not very good days.  You know what I mean.  Some days just sap the life out of you.  Those are the days when you didn't get enough sleep because you just kept turning but your mind never slowed down.  

Some days I'm physically exhausted.  Those are days when I feel ill or didn't get enough sunlight.

Some days are emotionally wearisome.  I'm sure many of you know these days too.  The days when someone at work or home or even church said something to you that hurt.  Maybe they were right to say it or maybe they were wrong.  But either way it really hurt and you shut down emotionally.

Then there are the days when I am spiritually tired.  Too many difficult days in a row or perhaps emerging from the trenches of spiritual warfare.  Those are the days when I need rest, encouragement, and support.

Yeah.  I tire of doing good.  We all do.

So then why does God tell us to never get tired of doing good when He knows that we will?

Personally I believe He tells us this so that we can recognize that we don't always have the strength or will in ourselves.  He wants us to turn to Him for what we need and not just what we want.

People around us need our love and support.  And as we get older the number of people who need our help will grow.  The demands put on us will be greater.  And if we aren't careful we could very easily burn out.  

Maybe you think that right now in life there aren't too many people, if any, who need your help and support.  But what about your family?  Relatives?  Friends? Co-workers? Neighbors?  

Maybe its time to write and send that card you've been meaning to send to a friend or relative.  Maybe you could make or buy some cookies or cake and drop it off at the neighbor's door just because.  Maybe you could do the dishes for a few nights or the laundry or take out the trash.

Maybe the best thing you could do is just pick up the phone and talk to a lonely person... or better yet let them talk to you and just be a listening ear.  I bet there are people in our lives right now who could benefit from our help.  And what better way to show your love then to do good things simply because you want to!

I'm leaning on 2 Thessalonians 3:13 this week.  Several good friends of mine are in serious need.  Death of loved ones, job losses, tense family relations, major health issues etc.  I'm praying for them but I want to "do" something too.  Perhaps I'll make meals and drop them off.  Perhaps I'll take them out to lunch or for coffee and just be a shoulder they can lean on.  Meanwhile the dishes and laundry keep piling up at home while demands at work get tougher.

Its just one of those weeks that make me sigh with weariness and think too much when I should be sleeping.  But God has a purpose in weeks like this.  When I'm too tired to love and help I turn to Him and suddenly I have a second wind!  He helps me ride the waves.  He brings relief.

May each of you find meaningful ways to show your love and may God be your rock when you feel you might falter.  Blessings to you.