Weariness in Our Modern-Day World
When struggling with the day-to-day, people process their weariness differently. All in all, weariness in itself can look different to each individual. It can encompass exhaustion from staying up with your kid all night. It can look like being burnt out from working 60 hours a week to make ends meet during the holidays. Or, it can look to be a relentless mind, calculating how you’re going to get everything done during the day. Whatever the case, it’s comforting to know this feeling of weariness is not a problem limited to the modern day man and woman.
Weariness was felt by many of the key characters in the Advent story.
The Israelites were a weary people waiting for a Savior, for redemption from their circumstances.
Mary was weary about God’s plan, not quite understanding the logistics of Jesus’s conception.
Joseph was weary of what would come with his marriage to Mary, initially wanting to divorce her because of the uncertainty and challenges behind that commitment.
By understanding how we cope with our weariness, we can begin to turn it over to God.
There are a few different approaches that are common among our culture today, the first being the mind-numbing approach:
During the holiday season, we can get so bogged down with everything extra we have to do, people we have to see, and gifts we have to buy that we end up doing nothing at all. Think about it. Have you ever come home from whatever activities you’ve completed that day, and immediately laid on the couch and turned on Netflix? Or, maybe you started to complete an activity on your to-do list but then got distracted scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…. And the list goes on and on. It can be so easy to put things off, say you’ll get it done tomorrow, and veg out. But when the next day comes, do you really feel refreshed? Or, does your weariness linger because you actually didn’t accomplish anything? The mind-numbing approach can be incredibly enticing, but it can actually increase weariness.
Perhaps you’re on the other end of the spectrum. In that case, you may take the do-it-to-it approach:
This may look like going, going, going until you can’t go anymore. It includes full schedules from sun up to sun down, Monday through Sunday, with little room to rest or acknowledge your weariness. Because if you’re too busy doing and leave little room for thinking, you don’t have to deal with your weariness. It can stay neatly wrapped in a little box under the Christmas tree just like the other 37 boxes you’ve wrapped and perfectly placed that day. Sure, you completed all of the activities you had on your list, but you definitely did not have a grateful heart about it. While everyone else around you seems incredibly excited for the holiday season, you just see it as extra work. This approach can also cause increased weariness if left unchecked.
On the other hand, maybe you have acknowledged the need for change to manage your weariness, especially with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. If this is you, you may be utilizing the lay-it-all-out-there approach:
At this point, you have probably spoken to someone about your weariness. You told them you frequently spend 3 hours a day in front of a screen to “relax,” which actually doesn’t make you feel relaxed at all. Or, you are secretly angry with your significant other because you have gone to work, done the laundry, picked up gifts for Uncle Bill and Aunt Lynn, and they haven’t done a thing.
You laid all your cards on the table.
You are tired.
You are jaded.
You are burnt out.
Any way you spin it, you feel plain out done... but are you really?
Or, have you picked up the same habits, and reverted back to your old ways of dealing with your weariness when things didn’t immediately change?
Sometimes we have the best intentions and seek help and accountability, but ultimately end up right back where we were because things get too hard. Alas, our weariness is still there, lingering.
So what would it look like in this season if you turned over your weariness to God?
Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Simply put, God’s Company = Real Rest.
So whatever approach you’re currently using to manage your weariness, throw it out the window.
Like Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, and the Magi, you must set aside aside your weariness, uncertainties, questions, and doubts, and learn to run the race God has set before you.
You must become the person he has called you to be.
This week, find opportunities to place yourself in God’s company. Take a different approach—his approach—and let Him take on your weariness during this holiday season.
Becoming generous
weekly family activity - the weary world
Each week of this Advent season your family has an opportunity to grow in its generosity.
This week, gather your family together and think of the neighbors around your home. How might they be weary right now? Write a few words of peace and encouragement for them as they enter into the Christmas season. Finally, leave these notes on your neighbors’ porches.
To follow along with this study, mark your calendars for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in these weeks leading up to Christmas. Each post will be hosted here. If what you’re learning is meaningful to you, click one of the share buttons at the top of these posts to invite more people on this journey of becoming.
We also invite you to spend Sunday mornings with us to hear what the pastors have to share with us during this season. Services start at 9:30 and 11:15am each week. See you there!
Weekly Reading - Dec 2-6
Monday Isaiah 9:2-7
Tuesday John 1:1-19
Wednesday Mark 1:1-3
Thursday Isaiah 40:1-11
Friday Luke 1:5-25