Who doesn't get exhausted sometimes?? Have you ever been so exhausted thats its like an out of body experience. Your mouth doesn't say what it usually says, your mind doesn't think the way it usually thinks, and your body doesn't move like it's supposed to move. It gets the best of us and sometimes there is no amount of coffee in the world to cure it.
There are three types of exhaustion and they all affect us differently.
1. Physical Exhaustion
2. Emotional Exhaustion
3. Spiritual Exhaustion
Physical Exhaustion
Physical Exhaustion is probably the most common of all these but in my opinion has the least amount of negative effect on our daily lives. In fact some people love this feeling as long as what they did to be physically exhausted they feel was a worthwhile task.
Around ten o'clock on a Sunday night is when I feel this the most. After being at church for 10-14 hours I am absolutely spent. My legs feel like jello, I feel sick to my stomach because of all the junk food that I ate because I didn't have the time to eat healthy, and my back is hurting from lugging around heavy objects all day. Now while this is not the most pleasant feeling in the world, its affirmation that I worked my butt off and it all came together because of all my aches and pains. I would be disappointed if i didn't feel this way at the end of a Sunday.
God calls us to work. God calls us to the point of physical breakdown. He didn't expect this whole Christianity thing to be soft and cushy. Paul is a perfect example of this. In 1 Corinthians 12:23-27 Paul describes his sufferings.
23 Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm
Paul was torn to shreds and yet he still worked HARDER! The more he was tossed around the harder he worked. Then in verse 29 he says this.
29 Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?
Who is weak without Paul feeling that same weakness? Paul did not feel weak. He felt empowered. He worked harder and harder. Physical exhaustion is a sign that we are working for God. He's not going to give us easy tasks all the time. I'm not saying that we should always to it the harder way even if there is an easier way that produces the same results. But a lot of the time the hard way is the ONLY way. But after you are done all you feel is a sense of accomplishment. Your back may hurt and you may be barely able to keep your eyes open but you will come out all the better.
Now I told Frank at the beginning of this week that I would have three blog posts by the end of the week. Seeing as this is the last day of the week, I'm going to separate this into three parts so that Frank can't give me grief for not putting up three posts.
There are three types of exhaustion and they all affect us differently.
1. Physical Exhaustion
2. Emotional Exhaustion
3. Spiritual Exhaustion
Physical Exhaustion
Physical Exhaustion is probably the most common of all these but in my opinion has the least amount of negative effect on our daily lives. In fact some people love this feeling as long as what they did to be physically exhausted they feel was a worthwhile task.
Around ten o'clock on a Sunday night is when I feel this the most. After being at church for 10-14 hours I am absolutely spent. My legs feel like jello, I feel sick to my stomach because of all the junk food that I ate because I didn't have the time to eat healthy, and my back is hurting from lugging around heavy objects all day. Now while this is not the most pleasant feeling in the world, its affirmation that I worked my butt off and it all came together because of all my aches and pains. I would be disappointed if i didn't feel this way at the end of a Sunday.
God calls us to work. God calls us to the point of physical breakdown. He didn't expect this whole Christianity thing to be soft and cushy. Paul is a perfect example of this. In 1 Corinthians 12:23-27 Paul describes his sufferings.
23 Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm
Paul was torn to shreds and yet he still worked HARDER! The more he was tossed around the harder he worked. Then in verse 29 he says this.
29 Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?
Who is weak without Paul feeling that same weakness? Paul did not feel weak. He felt empowered. He worked harder and harder. Physical exhaustion is a sign that we are working for God. He's not going to give us easy tasks all the time. I'm not saying that we should always to it the harder way even if there is an easier way that produces the same results. But a lot of the time the hard way is the ONLY way. But after you are done all you feel is a sense of accomplishment. Your back may hurt and you may be barely able to keep your eyes open but you will come out all the better.
Now I told Frank at the beginning of this week that I would have three blog posts by the end of the week. Seeing as this is the last day of the week, I'm going to separate this into three parts so that Frank can't give me grief for not putting up three posts.
