The Bible presents many paradoxes to us, especially when we see the word “blessing” or “blessed”  coupled with an experience or feeling that we typically do not associate as a blessing. If you look deeper, though, there are all kinds of blessings we forfeit during hard experiences because we focus on the pain and overlook the fruit that God is producing in us.

We need to be able to see the goodness and sovereignty of God in all of life, even in the most uncomfortable situations. After all, the “all” in the oft-quoted verse that God works out all things for good for those who love him (Romans 8:28) includes, of course, suffering.

This brings me to the subject of this post: weariness. I confess there are times when I feel weary. My desire to read and write is lower than normal. I have big life decisions to make, and I feel overwhelmed by the prospect of making the wrong decision or the less wise one. I can also become weary dealing with people who seem committed to making bad choices which somehow become my problem!

What could God be doing with my weariness? Or your weariness? Probably more than you think. When you are weary, you identify with Jesus, the God-man who Himself felt weary. When our Lord arrived at Jacob’s Well, for example, we learn that: “Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus by the well” (John 4:6).

When Jesus completed the work of salvation on behalf of God’s people, he went to heaven and “sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12). But when Jesus sat down by the well, He did so because He was exhausted. So He knows how we feel when weariness comes our way.

Hebrews 4:15  “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

So, when you are tired; when you are weary; when you are on the brink of burnout and draw near to Jesus in prayer, it’s not like He doesn’t understand what you’re going through. He does. And the good news is that Jesus not only sympathizes with you in your weariness but can also help you in your weariness. One way that weariness is a blessing is that it helps us identify with Jesus, and usually forces us to draw closer to him.

Secondly, when you are weary and you go on vacation or take a day off or do an activity to help fight the fatigue, you enjoy the rest or activity more. Some people go for a walk in the park and try not think too much about anything. Doing nothing, in a different setting altogether, can be very refreshing. You may find you are more dazzled by the trees and the leaves and the creek. Creation may seem more beautiful to you.

You should take none of the silence or solitude for granted. If you go on vacation when you really need it, you’ll enjoy it more than if you go when your bucket is full and rejuvenated. Being weary has a way of making you appreciate rest more and you are reminded of your need for silence, solitude, and rest.

Being weary can also reveal idols and weaknesses in your life. Of course, there may be seasons (e.g., new parent, church planter, a particularly busy season of work, etc.) where you have to expend a great deal of energy and there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s life. We all have to go through it. But this kind of season should not characterize every season of your life. If it does, it’s time to self-examine.

Sometimes we are weary not because we are working too hard, but because we are spending too much energy on things that don’t matter. It might be time to reassess how you spend your time and energy and to seek to eliminate things that do not align with your calling and to channel your energy toward the things that do. This can be a sobering and painful exercise. But honest acknowledgment is the first step towards change.

Weariness is also a reminder that God created you to get stuff done for his glory (Ephesians 2:10). Life is meant to be spent. Workaholism is bad, but laziness is equally bad. Because of the fall, we should not expect things at work and at home to always run smoothly, but we need to move forward in this fallen world and get stuff done anyway.

Personally, I enjoy an appropriate amount of fatigue after a productive, hard day of work, especially physical work. I have recently been doing some concreting at my home – the hard way – mixing it all myself and laying one small slab at a time. That involves a lot of time on a crowbar, shovel and trowel. So at the end of the day, my stiff and sore body tells me I have spent the day well. Weariness reminds us that idleness is sinful and that our lives are meant to be lived.

Finally, weariness points us to heaven. I’m increasingly becoming convinced that most Christians don’t think about heaven enough. I think it’s because heaven seems so abstract, so “up there,” that we don’t know how to think and talk about it, or that we are so focused on the pressures of this life that we don’t stop to contemplate the glories of the next life.

All we need to know about heaven is found in Scripture. We may want to know more about heaven than what we do, but we know enough from Scripture that should create a sense of inner joy and holy anticipation. Heaven will be utterly glorious. No more tears, sorrow, or suffering. God’s people will receive transformed bodies that work perfectly and will never again feel weary.