Today I'm linking up with Five Minute Friday, where we write for five minutes on a given prompt. This week's word is TIRED.
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The picture below shows a plaque that I made when I was a teenager, and that I still have.
At the time, my dad was sawing wood, and this thin slice of a log ended up on the woodpile. I took it inside, dried it, and then simply used a pencil to draw a picture of a pathway and mountain and write these (now faded) words:
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles.
They shall run and not be weary,
and they shall walk and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31 (King James Version)
This was my favourite Bible verse in those days, and I still consider it one of the most encouraging passages in the Bible.
Two of the verses before it say,
"Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak."
Isaiah 40:28-29 (New International Version)
Tired ... weary ... weak. These are familiar words. I often get tired of the demands of parenting. I get weary of repetitive words and activities. I feel weak when I stop and think about the overwhelming prospect of a lifetime of caregiving.
But in this Bible passage, God seems to be speaking directly to me -- saying, "Yes, I know you get tired and weary and weak ... but I do not. I understand what you are going through. I never sleep. I made this world, and I will help you. I will strengthen you and give you what you need to keep going."
When I made the plaque 40-some years ago, I didn't know what challenges the coming years would bring -- and maybe it's just as well. But I think I had a sense even then that reliance on God to renew my strength was going to be an important theme in my life. Today, I draw encouragement from the One who never grows tired or weary.
I love that Isaiah verse. Thanks for sharing. I'm in the 6 spot this week.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tara.
DeleteIsaiah 40:31 was the very first verse I memorized after coming to Christ. Thank you for sharing. I'm in the #8 spot this week.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and commenting, Barbie. I really appreciate having you here today!
DeleteIt truly is better not to know what is going to weary me in the future. I’d spend all my time trying to avoid it and that would be truly tiring too.
ReplyDeleteExactly. There's a good reason we can't see the future. Although there have been some pretty compelling novels written about those who can: e.g. About Grace by Anthony Doerr (author of All the Light We Cannot See). It's about a man who has premonitions and foresees the drowning of his baby daughter; he runs away to try to prevent it from happening and goes through some terrible experiences. Such a good book. All that to say yeah: it's much better not to know, ultimately. Thanks for reading and commenting, Tim.
Deletegreat post jeannie:) i like your plaque. i see you live in ontario. we have been there once. i can't remember if we were in london or hamilton. it was back in the late 1970's. my husband has a friend who has pastored in the greater toronto area for many years. my guess is that he is probably retired now. he has to be a little over 80 now.
ReplyDeleteHi Martha! Thanks for coming by to read. I've lived here in Kingston since 1986 -- I moved here to go to grad school -- but I grew up in Prince Edward Island. Have a good weekend!
DeleteGood thoughts and memories,Jeannie. I wrote on the same verses in a different way and used it as my actual blog for the day. God speaks uniquely to each of us.
ReplyDeleteYes, he does, Leona. Thank you for being here today - I appreciate it!
DeleteJeannie, so sorry it's taken me so long to stop by. This was such a great post! Isaiah 40:28-31 are highlighted in my Bible. I'm so glad I'm the daughter of a Father who never grows weary, gets tired, or needs sleep. He's ever attentive, and always willing to give us just what we need for each season, isn't He?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful job on your plaque!
Thanks, Jeanne. I was surprised to find the plaque in a box of stuff brought back from our family farm when we sold it - it had always had a prominent place on a cabinet at home but I had kind of forgotten about it so it is nice to have it back. I think the lettering needs redoing so I will probably do that and am hoping I won't mess it up. I appreciate your coming by to read anytime!
DeleteHi Jeannie, I just reread this post and wanted to say again how much you inspire me to keep on keeping on in the sometimes exhausting job of parenting. I remember back in the 70's I had Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me", taped to the clipboard that I had at university, also not knowing at the time just how much I would need Christ's strength these days. I was so sure that at this phase of my life I would be experiencing freedom from the burden of care for my kids, but such was not to be. Thank you for being there for the journey! Maureen
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Maureen. I appreciate your friendship and solidarity. Life is not quite what we expected, but God's faithfulness is unchanging.
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