Tiredness - Devotional by Terry Stead

The word ‘tiredness’, even when spoken out loud the word sounds and makes us feel tired. In contrast, have you ever stopped to think how, when certain words are spoken out loud, they make the difference in how we feel. Like “joyous”, “excited” or even “roses” can bring a smile to our face while others such as “devastated”, “heartache” or “grief” will change our outlook? I would like to just talk about “tiredness”. It doesn’t seem to matter if we are young, middle aged or elderly, there are times when we all get tired and function slower than we normally would.

For some, the tiredness comes from looking after a family and running them to school, sports, friends’ homes etc., and that doesn’t include all the looking after a growing family needs – the cooking, cleaning, and simply bringing them up in a world that is changing and demanding. For others it is the long hours spent at work and the stress of driving in traffic and then there is the tiredness that comes from the task of living each day with aged or diseased bodies. No matter what the cause, tiredness saps our strength and so we do not live up to the potential which God has given to us all.

As always though, we have been given the assurance that we can be renewed and reinvigorated and so overcome our worldly tiredness. Take heart in these beautiful words that you probably would have realized by now, I quote often.

“Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
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.”
Isaiah 40:30-31

Prayer:
Loving God, sometimes I become so tired that I can’t see the path you have chosen for me and so become disheartened. Give me the strength to soar once again and become all you would have me be. Amen.

By Terry Stead
Used by Permission