Reluctant Retiree

Last week I did some interior house painting. I could only paint for half a day, because I simply tired out. In fact, I got so tired that I was weak for a couple days. Now I was never a great athlete, but I used to have much more stamina than that. Age has taken its toll on my strength.

The Bible describes God in terms that cannot naturally be applied to men. Besides the obvious qualities of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, God is described as never sleeping, always working, always understanding and never tiring. Isaiah 40:28 says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” That means that He knows me and understands my weaknesses. Beyond that, He is always working on my behalf.

So how does this truth affect me? Three verses later Isaiah wrote; “but they that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” If I can trust God, this promise states I will not grow weary in following Jesus and serving Him. I will have the strength that I need each day, not just to survive or just get by, but rather to soar above my weaknesses.

We have all seen demonstrations of awesome power. Men compete in the World’s Strongest Man competition every year, moving and carrying amazing amounts of weight. Men and women exhibit powerful fetes in crosstraining. Every day laborers seem to move mountains to build, create, and secure tall buildings.

We get used to seeing these amazing fetes and begin to expect this from others and ourselves. But once we choose to rely on ourselves, we will be disappointed with the inevitable failures that come upon us. We will become disheartened with our weaknesses.

That’s because we placed our trust in our own limited strength and abilities. Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” God says that we will inevitably fail and fall short when we trust in our finite strength. However, He promises to provide unlimited power, wisdom and authority through His Spirit to those who trust in Him. His wisdom and power created heaven and earth by His Word. They still sustain the world and give life. By His power alone can we accomplish the good things that we desire to do.

Several years ago I was walking down a street with a few friends. Across the street was a vacant lot. A flatbed truck was parked in the heap of rocks. Some young people were standing on the flatbed looking for some thrills. They began throwing some rocks at us. They were pretty far away so most of their throws fell short. Some, however, reached their mark and hit us. While they were throwing the rocks they shouted an unusual question: “Do you still love us?” Now, I will admit that in most situations like this I would not have responded with much kindness. However, this time my friends and I could genuinely respond with “Yes, we still love you!”

God gave us the grace to respond in love. These young people became our friends and guardians while we were working in their neighborhood. They introduced us to friends and family and invited us to meals with their families. You see, we were just applying a scriptural truth to a stressful situation. I Peter 7-8 says, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

The love which God gave us allowed us to overcome the obstacles of that difficult time. All of us were able to see past the trouble to build relationships of mutual trust and encouragement.

This past week Shaquille O’Neal harshly criticized many celebrities. He said that they have lost touch with reality. In his opinion, they look down on others and therefore do not understand or empathize with the struggles of the common people. They have let their success and pride make them lose touch with who they really are. While acknowledging his own celebrity, he pledged to withdraw from the privileges of his status. His comments seemed to be heartfelt and, therefore, are admirable.

What does God think of those who separate themselves from the lowly? Psalm 138:6 says, “For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.” The Lord is God Almighty. You cannot have a higher status. Still, He identifies closely with the lowly and draws close to them. On the other hand, He keeps the prideful far from Him. Jesus calls Himself “gentle and lowly”.

God calls us to reject our own tendency to be arrogant. He calls us to acknowledge our own dependency on Him. Then He calls us to have compassion on the weak, unwise and needy. Because, after all, that is who we are.

I spent most of the day painting window and door frames. The local mission is building several tiny homes for homeless men and women who have suffered some trauma that keeps them from being able to live in the dorms with large numbers of people. The desire is to provide a secure environment for their healing and progress. It takes away some of the burdens that they may not be able to deal with now.

Speaking of burdens I once rode in an Ox cart to get from one village to another. It was interesting to watch the oxen and listen to the driver. They always pair an inexperienced ox with an experienced one. The yoke binds them together so that the young one learns from the elder. When they become an effective team, each of their burdens becomes lighter.

Jesus offered to lighten our burdens when He said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” We find rest for our wearied souls when we join with the yoke of Jesus. He teaches us about life and assists us with our burdens. I don’t know about you, but I can use His help in carrying the burdens I face.