Do
not grow weary in doing good. 2 Thessalonians 3:13
The teenager's mom, a bit exasperated by the failure of her youngest child to show the
desired maturity, sighed and said, "Two more years of junior high." To which he,
in typical style, replied with a smile, "Mom, why don't you just take the next 2
years off!"
Often there are things we would simply like to avoid by taking "time off." When
we have a chronically sick family member, we may be tempted to just "check out"
for a while. When children rebel and make parenting a struggle, we'd prefer a long
vacation from the hassle. Then there are those times when we face great spiritual battles
that we would like to skip altogether.
Paul spoke briefly about such struggles in 2 Thessalonians 3. He mentioned the problem of
dealing with people who "walk among you in a disorderly manner, . . .
busybodies" (v.11). Facing up to people problems can be frustrating. But Paul gave
part of the solution when he said, "Do not grow weary in doing good" (v.13).
Another part of the equation is to listen to the psalmist, who said, "Cast your
burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you" (Psalm 55:22).
When it's not possible to "take the next 2 years off," we can gain hope from
this advice: Keep doing good and keep casting your care on God. That's better than taking
time off.
-JDB
Be not weary in well-doing
When you're tempted to give up;
Cast on God your every burden,
Trust in Himkeep looking up!
-Fitzhugh
When God stretches your patience He is seeking to enlarge your soul.