I have had a trying task the last few weeks
I am preparing a large, old house to be sold
I have lived there for many years and have accumulated many possessions
My body aches so much from lifting
and from running up and down stairs
and cleaning and painting and organizing and gardening
In my menial misery, I have thought about Jesus
when He was carrying the cross
and how tired and beyond exhausted He must’ve been
I remembered when He asked the disciples to pray with Him
and they fell asleep
And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping,
and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou?
couldest not thou watch one hour? Mark 14:37
Someone did carry His cross for Him part of the way Mark 15:21
but He still must’ve been so tired
without a moment to rest
Even though I wasn’t anywhere near where He would have been
as far as fatigued and suffering,
I think I caught a glimpse
and it made me feel so sad that He had to endure that
or that He chose to endure that for us,
for all of us who would receive Him and even those who wouldn’t
It is moments like those when we feel all alone,
when we know He is there,
walking with us, helping us,
giving us stamina and wisdom when we have run out of steam or wits
I could have asked people to help
but they knew and didn’t offer, so I left it at that
I’ll never forget how much Jesus helped me Himself
He’s my friend and He was there, every step of the way
listening to me think things through,
answering me if I asked for ideas
on how to do some mind-bending tasks
I learned that many possessions are a curse
That He will help us however we need help
A little taste of such an extremely exhausted body
that you don’t think you can go on
And that there is always an end, a duration of whatever we go through
To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8