“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”
Hebrews 12:3-4
We all get tired, and there are all kinds of things that wear us out everyday. Being tired is almost a badge of being important in our society. There is a society, Japan, that even prizes people who fall asleep at their job, because it shows their dedication to the task and company. Sleep is a wonderful antidote to being tired physically, as is being relieved at the outcome of a job or task which is very good for our emotions.
And as ‘prized’ as being tired might be, there is another state that is harder to recover from: exhaustion. In contrast to being tired where you can muster up some energy to finish something, exhaustion is when you can no longer do that. Only a complete stop works when exhausted.
Yet, the verses above help us when we get tired, and even exhausted, because they point to the power of God through Jesus’ death in our place. Jesus completely exhausted Himself in our place so that we can be encouraged and inspired. We may think we are exhausted, but a glance at the cross can help us realize that we are tired, and just need a bit of a break. Then we can take the task up again with a renewed spirit. Thanks be to the God who shows us what really matters in life – faith in the One who truly exhausted Himself for us.
