Wearied and Washed Out

 

Throughout these last few months, when I have chatted to friends on Zoom, or spoken to congregational members on the phone, or communicated with folks by text, email or WhatsApp etc, I have very often asked how people are doing in the current circumstances, and I – in turn – have been asked how I am doing.

In the various responses to these enquiries, one word has been used time and again; wearied.

People are feeling fed up and frustrated, wrung out and washed out. Wearied.

And, yes, I certainly feel that too; wearied and washed out.

Spending so long within the same four walls, sitting at the same desk, day following day with monotonous similarity, phone calls to members and parishioners, Zoom meeting after Zoom meeting (and how draining are they?!)… it is all so very wearisome.

Over these last few weeks I have had a few legitimate reasons to venture out of my immediate area for both medical appointments and urgent work reasons. On these few days, just that trip and the (physically distanced!) face to face encounter with another has significantly and noticeably lifted my spirits.

And I know that I am in the fortunate position of not living on my own, and that I can step out of my door into the garden,  and I have good reason to get out most days to walk the dogs etc. How much more trying this time is for those who live on their own and have no reason to get out or lack the means for so doing. And single parents who may not have any family support close at hand must be climbing the walls and dreading the Christmas holidays.

Wearied… washed out…

I fear that sometimes we might feel guilty that we experience these feelings. Truth be told, I can feel a little guilty that I feel wearied. But, when I reflect upon that, I think that such guilt is inappropriate.

God’s people must have felt wearied when they spent generations in exile, or as they watched and waited year after year for the promised Messiah. The Psalmist tells us that he got weary crying out to God.

It is natural and normal to feel wearied in certain circumstances.

But also in the Bible there are promises to which we can turn and in which we can place our trust and our hope. Not least amongst these are the gracious words of Jesus ‘come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’

We may feel wearied and washed out, but we also have a promise of rest and refreshment.