Growing Weary

Anyone else weary? Anyone else tired of doing good and not reaping a harvest? If you saw my post on instagram you know I have been having a really hard time. A friend sent me a sermon in the middle of my weariness and it encouraged my heart so much. The main point of the message? Do not become weary and miss the harvest.

“Let us not grow weary in well doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

I have had to remind myself that I am closer to my miracle than I think. I can’t imagine the thought of giving up today, knowing tomorrow might be the day I receive my harvest. Does knowing you might be one day away from your harvest motivate you to keep going? I know it isn’t easy when it seems like your waiting season is so long and everyone else around you has what you have been wanting. But, it’s never a good idea to become jealous of others so stop comparing your plowing season to someone else’s harvest season.

Farmers or gardeners have never been able to cherry pick, so we can’t either. They can’t go out to their farm or garden and harvest their fruit if they haven’t planted the seed, pruned the plants, watered the plants, and endured some storms along the way. In the same way, you can’t just show up at harvest time. God didn’t create you to receive your harvest and consume fruit without producing the fruit along the way, so make sure you invest in your field. You might have to invest longer in your field than others do, but whatever you do, don’t give up!

So, what is it that causes the weariness? Why can I (or you) be fine for months, or even years and then all of a sudden feel like I can’t go on another day? The pastor pointed out that weariness happens when our own expectations and reality don’t meet. Those unmet expectations lead to weariness, weariness leads to apathy, and apathy births empty religion. And religion? It tells us that the reason we haven’t reaped our harvest is because we did something wrong and don’t deserve it.

So what can you do when you become weary?

• Spend time with God. You are not weary because of what you are waiting on or the trial you are facing, but you are weary because you are not with God. Just as those in the bible had to do, it is necessary to spend time with Him. He will bring you strength. Make spending time with Him part of your normal routine and you will be filled up with strength to overcome your weariness.
• Spend time in community. What happened when the weariness and depression overtook me a few weeks ago? I isolated myself. The enemy loves to bring the feeling of isolation which is why it is important to be in Godly relationships. Allow people to speak life into your situation when you don’t feel you can do so yourself. Weariness is not a battle you can fight on your own. Jesus walked with 12 disciples for a reason, and so should you.
• Dream about the harvest. Strength is shaped by what you believe, not by what you see. A healthy heart dreams about the harvest, no matter what the field looks like. A farmer can’t stop caring and expect to reap crops. Similarly, when you stop dreaming about the harvest, you stop planting seeds and pulling weeds that are necessary to bring the harvest.

Don’t beat yourself up for growing weary, but do make sure you acknowledge weariness and do something about it. When you start to get weary, spend time with Him, reach out to other believers, and whatever you do, keep dreaming about the harvest!

How have you experienced times of weariness from doing good?

PS. If you listen to this message, I would start it at the 4 minute mark.

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