On one hand I feel tired, worn and overwhelmed. On the other, I feel excited and raring to go.
God has called me to something and I want to see it through. It is hard work. It is depleting. It is a lot, but it is amazing.
In this, I no longer have to live purposeless, passionless and powerless. I no longer have to live driving from thing to thing, hoping to pass joy along the road – because joy is now the fuel to my drive.
To the cross I aim,
to exalt his name is my claim
and, in this, I will never be left the same.
I have never felt more joy – and more power – in Him.
So, I’ve adopted a go, go, go mentality
with push, push, push tenacity.
And, it is here where my mental battle begins. I start to wonder, “Is this right to do?”
Is God calling me to rest?
Or, is he calling me to abide in him as I work hard by faith?
Because people say:
“God’s load is light. You shouldn’t feel tired.”
“If it is wearing on you, you are taking on a load that God has not called you to take.”
“If it is beyond your strength, or abilities, then it is too much and not where God wants you to be.”
“If your strength is not 100% then you are doing it by your own might.”
I see where they are coming from, but I am not so sure I agree.
Yes, Christ does say this, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28)
But, there is also this to contend with:
And let us not grow weary of doing good,
for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Gal. 6:9)
And as for you, brothers and sisters,
never tire of doing what is good. (2 Thess. 3:13)
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. (Prov. 13:4)
Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. (Prov. 12:11)
Do not be slothful in zeal,
be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. (Romans 12:11)
My mind may lays conflicted, but Christ’s love is never restricted. So, he draws my heart close and extends his love to a weary heart.
He simply says,
“Power down your mind and power up in me.
Behold me, perceive me and wait on my leading.
I will not misguide you or hide from you; instead I will come alongside you.
I will renew your strength.”
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Ps. 27:14)
We don’t have to walk by fate, because we can walk by faith.
Faith means we stop to see what the Lord has for us to do. It means we wait for his leading. Then, our heart is renewed, revived and restored in strength – because we have heard from God. What is more restorative than that?
but 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. (Is. 40:31)
It is hope that carries our heart forward.
Hope almost grows little legs on our heart so that all we want to do is run into the world to heal, help and harvest souls.
In this, we are not called to back down, we are called to fuel up with his hope.
Because, when we see hope,
we see how vital it is that we carry his cross far and wide.
When we see the hope of eternal glory and rewards,
we gain the strength to go unforeseen distances.
When we believe the hope of his promises,
we know all we do is secure in Him because He is for us.
There is no backing down – no slowing up.
Hope doesn’t come to make us pause in God, it comes to give us legs to bring God to all.
In a sense, hope comes right up against us like a bumper car and pushes us lengths we never intended to go . We can’t help but move.
And, the more we hope, the more we run towards him and towards others.
Our joy becomes unceasing – our lives transformed. There is no fear because the perfect love of Jesus Christ extinguishes any fear. We stand in line with the maker, and he makes a way for us.
For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” (Is. 41:13)
So, what does this mean for me? It means, I know where to gas up on strength. I know who to go to for renewal.
God readily supplies a never-ending outpouring of hope – and it is this never-ending supply that will drive me to new lengths – and new heights- in Christ Jesus.
He will renew my strength.
He will instruct my spirit.
He will guide my ways.
Lead me in truth.
Help me in my weakness.
Offer me new mercies every morning.
And, he will do that for you too.
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Yes! I am there too. Sometimes the thing God has us doing are very wearying. I deal with asthma and fibromyalgia with a child with autism. Some days I am so very tired. Some days He teaches me to put my hands together. That’s the only place to go for more strength. Some days I go to cry or to scream or to complain. But I still go. Don’t. Ever. Give. Up. On. God.
I can’t even begin to understand how hard that must be. You are so brave! God delights how you run to him in your distress.
Love this, kelly: “I know where to gas up on strength. I know who to go to for renewal.” AMEN! Have a great day! #RaRaLinkup
Thanks Kristine! May the Lord full us and fill us again and again. I am grateful for your comment.
Beautiful yet again! I think my favorite line is “hope doesn’t come to make us pause in God, it comes to give us legs to bring God to all.” I feel worn out often. I’ve been in school for a looong time! I completed a doctorate in naturopathic medicine, but unfortunately, naturopathic doctors can’t practice to their full potential in all states. Insurance is also a big issue. Now, here I am, in a Physician Assistant program that has me pulling my hair out on some nights. I do question if I’m doing the right thing sometimes. Being almost 30 and still in school can be frustrating, but I feel like I’m in the right place. I need to gas up daily with the Lord…but I must say, I’m enjoying that so much. I’m so thankful that I don’t have to do this alone!
Wow! This sounds like so much. It sounds like you really have to abide in Jesus to keep your spirits up. God goes with you. I am so glad you are pulling your strength from him. Keep going. He will take you all the way!
Really love this – feeling encouraged! I love how you write and I love how it rhymes! Your words are always such a blessing – thank you for your words of encouragement! God bless!
You bet Ruth. I am so glad you are feeling encouraged. That is always how I want ever reader to walk away so those words are special. God is with you and so deeply loves you. I am blessed by you as a friend and co-blogger.
Kelly, this green eye-monster…I’m thankful you threw it front of the Jesus bus today. I, too, have faced this monster. Oh but when our eyes turn off of jealousy and onto Jesus….
It’s a beautiful thing, and you are too. Keep clicking away at these truthful, encouraging words. xo
Ha! I love that Kristi – throw the green-eye monster right under the bus! Jesus won’t stand for that. Jesus…may we just see Jesus and run into his arms and his ways. I love your comment. Thank you for this.
I’m am so there right now as well! I have felt the Lord telling me to do certain things but at the same time it is totally overwhelming and exhausting. I keep questioning why he is taking me down this path. Thank you for the reminder of where to turn for an endless supply of hope and strength!
You bet! He is right there waiting to fill you back up again – and again – and again. I know, I have to keep on running to him myself. HA!
Kelly, love this post, especially this quote, “In a sense, hope comes right up against us like a bumper car and pushes us lengths we never intended to go . We can’t help but move.” Having just been in bumper cars with my grandson, it is a great analogy! It also speaks to how we don’t have to “work up” hope…the Holy Spirit becomes the bumper car that gives us just the right push at just the right moment…His timing is perfect! Thank you for this picture! Many blessings to you 🙂
I love the Holy Spirit addition Beth. Great point, the Spirit pushes and guides us. I am so thankful for that. Just when we start to go off the deep end, we behold truth. Thank you for commenting here; your words bless me. I can’t wait to read your post.
Always good and faithful words from you Kelly. I needed to hear this today!
Thank you dear Christy. Much love to you sister.
“And, the more we hope, the more we run towards him and towards others.” This really is true. The more I have my eyes on Him and delight in the work I do the more hope I have. It gives me peace and joy and it automatically spills over into the lives of others. And it leads me right back to Him. When I just look at my circumstances I can forget the hope we have in Him. We need constant reminders and He is so faithful to hold us and lift us up.
Yes we do Gayl; we need constant reminders. He fills us with hope as we keep our eyes on him. Much love sister.
I love the picture that you painted of a heart growing little legs and running into the world to help, heal, and harvest souls. 🙂 Thank you for these encouraging words today, Kelly! Such a great reminder that our Heavenly Father provides an endless supply of hope and strength.
Thank you Tina. God is so faithful to us. There are times where the world seems hopeless but he runs to our rescue. I hope you have the most amazing day Tina. Much love to you.
[…] How to Renew Your Strength by Kelly Balarie. This is the article Monica references in the episode. […]
blessing!
I needed this uplifting in my ministry. Things are not working as expected and I’m still hoping for the best. I will keep my trust in God.