Renewed Strength

There have been seasons in life when all I wanted to do was go to sleep. Physically exhausted. Patience worn out. My greatest joy was putting on my pjs and collapsing on my pillow. However, with young boys in the house, a rowdy chorus bursting into my room just as I had fallen asleep is a real and ever-present possibility. So, I have a lot of sympathy for a certain group of shepherds who just wanted to settle down for the night.

I picture this group of shepherds, exhausted and worn out from a long day guiding their sheep up and down the hills under the sun. They chased after the wayward and removed thorns from the tangled. As evening fell, they settled down for some well-deserved rest. Maybe some of the shepherds sat mesmerized by the dancing flames and pops and cracks of a cooking fire. Perhaps some silently finished their dinner or chatted together about the struggles of the day and their hopes for the future. Maybe some were already asleep. 

Then, a supernatural chorus of angels bursts onto the scene. It’s unexpected. It’s overwhelming. It completely turns their evening and their routine upside down. The dark sky is filled with light. The quiet is pierced by a multitude of voices. A new energy and excitement grips the shepherds, and instead of putting their heads down and their feet up to rest, they are ready to run out of the camp. “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened” they cry.

We all face tiring seasons in life, both obvious and more subtle. Obvious like the sleep-deprived blur of caring for a newborn, trying to remember the last time we took a shower. Subtle like the mental struggle of trying to find purpose in the mundane drudgery of everyday life, wondering- is this really all there is for me? 

Physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion are all real and take a toll on our lives in different ways. But God is ready to refresh us and renew our minds by the power of the Holy Spirit even in the midst of those seasons. When God’s presence shows up in our lives, it brings fresh energy, renewed excitement, and spurs us to action despite unlikely timing. “But they who 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.” (Isaiah 40:31) He may not remove us from tiring situations, but he will transform them. When God is at work, our soul sings in harmony, and we too cry out “Let’s go see this thing that has happened!”