Do you ever feel like you want to just quit? I do. For example, right now it is the middle of winter which means cold, grey days and long, dark nights. I am recovering from not one, but two car accidents within the last five weeks. The second didn’t cause more injury, but it did create more hassle in car repairs and insurance paperwork. The injury from the first accident, however, is still causing pain and severe headaches. I have much I want to do, but little strength. Others I love are suffering even more. My aunt has a recently diagnosed inoperable brain tumour. My sister-in-law is in the hospital being injected with harsh anti-rejection medications to try to save her second transplanted kidney. Friends are dealing with work and family issues. Sometimes I wonder, can we not just get a break? Then I remember Galatians 6:9 and that we will be rewarded for our perseverance.
Galatians 6:7-8 tells us that we will reap what we sow. Good seeds will produce a good harvest; bad seeds will produce a bad harvest. Verse 9 tells us that we need to continue to sow those good seeds. We need to be kind and helpful to others, and not give up. Continuing to do good does not mean that we need to do everything. We need to prioritize the things that consume our time and energy, but we also need to be sure that it isn’t all focused on ourselves.
Growing weary is not the same as growing tired. Tired is a physical state that we encounter when we try to fit too much into our lives at the expense of rest. Weary is an attitude of discouragement—we feel like it is just not worth the trouble. Galatians 6:9 tells us that it is worth the trouble. Some rewards will come sooner and some will come later, but this verse promises us that they will come. The agricultural analogy is a good one. Not all crops progress from seed to harvest in the same amount of time—some are ready in months while others take years. It is possible that we will see the rewards for some of our good deeds soon, and it is possible that we won’t see others until eternity, but we are promised that we will see them, and when they come we will realize that God’s timing is perfect. Take heart! Don’t give up!