Thankful in all Seasons

When I went home for Thanksgiving last week, I was hoping to find peace and joy. After all, this would be my first break from non-stop studying, test after test after test, cramming five to ten page papers merely days before their due dates that had been my routine for the past few months. I was finally going to see my family, see my friends and just celebrate the blessings that God has given me.

However, when I arrived home, all I felt was exhaustion. I was tired from driving home, tired from working so hard at school for months and not seeing any fruits come from my labor, just so so tired. Of course, I was thrilled to see my family, but I was disappointed that I couldn’t feel fully present with them. Thanksgiving came and went, Black Friday shopping scooted past, and on Saturday, my family bundled up and cut down our Christmas tree. Instead of helping decorate it though, I was writing my fifteen page communication research paper that was due the Monday I returned back to school. After that, all I could do was take a nap.

God, You are so so good to us. Thank you for always taking care of us and sending us Your son Jesus to live as a perfect example for us, and ultimately die for our sins. Throughout this next week, I pray that we can accept the peace that you are so freely offering to us and find solace in Your loving arms. May we lean into your strength and power, offering up all our worries to you and finding shelter from the storms in our lives.

I have an admission: my soul is weary. I’m tired and it’s not something can be solved with a good night’s sleep, though that couldn’t hurt. My days are filled with moments of things to be thankful for, yet I still feel the burden of day in and day out tediousness. This burn-out affects my relationships, my quality of work, and my overall motivation and energy.

Some days, it’s absolutely exhausting to get up and go through the motions. But, the LORD our God promises us peace and rest in Him, as the above verse declares. When I feel this exhaustion, I remind myself that the Maker and Sustainer of the entire universe knew me before I was born and put me on this earth for a reason. Every time weariness slips into my mind, I challenge it with words of His truth. I repeat His truths over and over and over to myself until it’s all I can hear.

Life is not easy, not one bit and in the face of the upcoming holidays, it feels like it should be. But make no mistake, God is good and He’s carrying us through all seasons of our lives, this one included. It’s going to be okay.