The Weary Fighter

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My sweet, sweet son is now at an age where he refuses to take naps. With all his might, he fights sleep. He will resort to kicking, screaming, or laughing to let us know he doesn’t want to rest. There’s really nothing this kid won’t do to avoid nap time.

The only problem is that when this sweet child of mine resists rest, he ends up grumpier than he would have been if he had just taken the nap in the first place. One night, after a long, fun day traveling to see his uncle, who lives out of state, my little one chose to stay awake rather than rest during the multi-hour road trip. By the time we got home that night, I knew that he and I would both get an excellent night’s sleep.

Wrong.

For the first time in his life, this baby was so tired that any time he would get comfortable enough to go to sleep, he would start crying and screaming.

He fought bedtime like never before.

At first, my husband and I were worried that something was wrong with him. But as time went on, we realized that he was so exhausted that he was no longer just tired and sleepy – he had become weary.

Weary.

What a word.

Merriam-Webster defines the feeling as “exhausted in strength, endurance, vigor, or freshness” or “having one’s patience, tolerance, or pleasure exhausted.”

In life, I think we all have moments of weariness – whether from sleep deprivation, illness, stress, or strife – when we reach a point where we believe we have nothing left. When that point is reached, these issues shift from mere inconvenience to total exhaustion.

When these times strike, it often seems as though there is no cure for our weary hearts and bodies.

During these moments, nothing helps – except rest.

Take my son, for example.

Once he finally fell asleep, he was as good as new. He just had to lay aside his fit-throwing and give in to rest.

In the same regard, many of us act just like that crying little boy when we get to our points of total exhaustion from life’s complex challenges. We cry, scream, pout, and tell everyone we know about the struggles that consume us.

In reality, rest and trusting in our Savior are the only cures that can truly solve our aches and pains.

In Matthew 11, we are given words straight from the Savior’s mouth on how we can manage our weariness of all sorts. Verses 23-30 say:

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light (Matthew 11:23-30).

He is our cure! He is our hope for the stress-filled days that have no end in sight.

In the passage, Jesus uses the imagery of a yoke. A yoke is a device (often a wooden bar) that can be used on cattle in the field to help distribute the weight of the work. When both animals shared the load, they found that the job got done faster without overburdening either of them.

Jesus tells us that when we are near Him, our burdens will be light. Just as that yoke helped the oxen, being in close communication with him is the best place we can be. Not only because He can take our burdens and turn them into something beautiful, but also because He wants to.

Our Savior wants to come into our weary hearts - amid our fit-throwing - take the pain, and give us the glorious gift of rest. Better yet, He wants to teach us, even in the midst of our pain, how to fully rely on Him.

Will we let him? Or will we stubbornly fight the good gift he is trying to give us?

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake (Psalm 23:1-3).

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