— Weary in the Center of God's Will — |
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Dear friend, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 3:14 - |
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We start bragging about it in high school:
"I am so tired." In college, it becomes part of the script.
“How are you?”
“Tired.” Then comes marriage, babies, work, ministry—and there it is again, now posted on Facebook and murmured at playdates:
“I’m just so tired.” But maybe we need to reframe how we think about tiredness. Not as a badge of honor. Not as a complaint. Not even as a problem to solve. Just as a simple human reality. Because to be tired is to be human.
To be tired is to have done good work in a broken world. |
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Weariness is a hard thing—not a bad thing Work existed before the Fall. But before sin, work was joyful. It responded to us. Now it resists us. The earth pushes back. The baby won’t sleep. The project stretches into the weekend. Our labor—whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual—drains us. And still, when it is done to the glory of God, it is good. The weariness we feel at the end of the day is not something to resist but something to accept. To make anything beautiful, fruitful, and God-honoring requires effort. It requires energy. It costs us something. So when we’re tired—whether it’s from bending over books in a library or rocking a colicky baby at midnight—we are tired for a purpose. To act surprised by that, or resentful of it, is to misunderstand the nature of our calling. Weariness is hard. But it is not bad.
We don’t need to escape it. In fact, we shouldn’t.
Weariness is evidence that work has been done. |
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Tiredness as a season I’ve had many seasons of exhaustion: late nights in college, newborn wakings, twelve-hour workdays, ministry events that ended at midnight followed by 7 a.m. start times. I was tired. But I was also right where God had called me. The tiredness was part of the assignment. When we complain about being tired, what are we really saying? Sometimes it reveals a lack of discipline in cultivating true rest. Other times, it reveals a resistance to the demands of our season. It’s natural to avoid discomfort—but as followers of Christ, we’re not called to live naturally. We’re called to live sacrificially. And sometimes that means leaning into the little discomforts of everyday obedience—the ones that never make it onto a highlight reel but matter just the same. This is my season of tired. I could fight it. I could wake up angry at the physical demands of my life. Or I can accept them as part of my “living sacrifice” to the Lord (Romans 12:1). If I resist, the season will continue—but it will be harder because I refused to embrace it. If I surrender, I will still be tired—but I’ll be in the center of God’s will. |
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Spent for His glory In You and Me Forever, Francis Chan talks about the end of life. Our culture, he says, views old age as the time to finally relax and prioritize comfort. But that’s not what we see in Scripture. Retirement, as we know it, isn’t a biblical principle. Chan challenges us to run harder in our later years—to sprint across the finish line of faith, not coast through it. But this isn’t just about old age. This mindset starts now.
Because the Western church has bought into the lie that comfort is king. And as a result, we view tiredness as a failure or a flaw. We try to avoid the very thing that comes with a life of faithfulness: being poured out. But look at how the New Testament describes the Christian life: “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight . . . and run with endurance the race that is set before us . . . ” (Hebrews 12:1) “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it . . . I discipline my body and keep it under control . . . ” (1 Corinthians 9:24,27) “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14) “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) |
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Life is a race.
Life is a fight.
It requires strength, focus, endurance—and yes, it will leave us tired. But we press on, because the prize is not comfort. The prize is Christ. I want to run my race with everything I’ve got.
I want to spend my energy in the service of the Kingdom, not hoard it for some “someday” that may never come. That might mean I end the day tired. I set aside time for Sabbath. I prioritize rest.
But if I’m also spent for His glory, then I’m where I’m supposed to be. |
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Last week to sign up for Verity Local! |
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Experience Verity Together—online or local. Connect, learn, and grow at Verity Conference, October 3–4. The conference will be two days of biblical teaching to deepen your theology and strengthen your discernment. The conference is online this year, but if you are interested in experiencing the conference with a local community, sign up to host a Verity Local—invite friends, open your Bibles, and watch the sessions together. This is the last week to sign up to host a Verity Local—registration ends September 1st! |
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PO Box 453
Petoskey, MI 49770, USA |
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