As I sit down to write this article I have just been reflecting on a message that I spoke this previous Sunday morning about finishing well. The message was not meant to be about weariness but as I communicated the message I know that God was speaking to us as a church about not becoming weary.

I think that weariness unlike tiredness is not so much a physical but an emotional issue. It’s more to do with the why we do rather than what we do. I know many people who work long hard hours doing physical and strenuous work who come home tired, but they are not weary. Then I know others who do much less physical work, yet I would say they are weary. Weariness is something that we grow into rather than something we simply feel due to having been busy.

So how do we become weary?

One of the main reasons I think people become weary is they forget the reason why they are doing what they are doing.

The story is told of three men working in a ditch when a passerby looked at them and saw how completely different they were. One was very sad and so the passer by asked ‘what is it you are doing?’ the man replied ‘digging this stupid ditch.’ To a man further along who was doing better but wasn’t fully energised the passer by asked the same question. His answer ‘building a wall.’ Then the passer by went on further and found a man working enthusiastically full of vigour and energy with a smile on his face. The passer by asked ‘what are you doing?’ to which the man happily replied ‘building a Cathedral.’ Often it’s not the work we are doing that makes us weary, but understanding who we are doing it for.

In our lives it is easy to get caught up in digging and building rather than the King and his kingdom. No matter how trivial the thing we are doing may feel, if we will remember who it is we are doing it for then we will feel energised and enthusiastic rather than weary. One of the words that I think is having a negative effect in our modern day church world is the word ‘busy.’ We seem to think that we are too busy and haven’t got enough time for all that we have to do. Yet the reality is we probably have more time than any other generation before us. Our problem is not busyness but blindness to the calling and cause of Jesus. If we will see what we are doing from the right perspective we will be filled with joy and enthusiasm and our lives will be fuller than we could ever imagine. Don’t become weary, but instead become a worshipper and focus your thoughts on the one who has given everything for you!

If you would like to hear the full message you can order the CD ‘Deciding to stick at it’ from the Information desk on Sundays at one of our campuses or at the Centre on Nether Hall Road, Doncaster.