HOW TO RECOGNIZE WEARINESS

Brothers and sisters, don’t ever grow weary in doing what is right. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 (TPT)

How do you know when you’re weary?

Indifference can be one indication. Mental or emotional exhaustion can slowly extinguish a person’s fire for their spouse, their life or their future. Over time, that exhaustion turns into indifference as they begin to run out of steam.

Over the years, I’ve counselled many married couples. If they come in angry and fighting, I’ve found there’s usually lots of hope. But when they walk in and they’re already apathetic, it’s a different scenario. Indifferent people are often close to being finished.

Sarcasm also points toward weariness. We all know people who are quick on the draw with humorous comebacks or snappy remarks. But sarcasm is often hiding something else. I frequently meet new visitors at our church who used to attend elsewhere. When they’re instantly sarcastic about our worship songs, our church culture or the message, I know that they have started to make internal judgments and are headed toward burnout.

When you make an internal judgment, you burn a negative belief into your heart. It might be something as simple as, “All churches are lousy.” When someone actually begins to believe that thought, the rest of their life will be affected and governed by that inner judgment. Over time, symptoms of weariness will emerge in that area.

Weariness doesn’t happen overnight. Sometimes it’s such a slow train to emotional exhaustion that you don’t even realize it’s happening.

But that doesn’t mean it takes long to throw it off. You absolutely can—and quickly! Over the next few days, I’ll share principles you can use to live fully and free of weariness.