The Bible’s Surprising Antidote to Your Weariness
By Michael Kelley
How are you feeling today?
Did you wake up ready to go? Beat the alarm clock: Bounce out of bed with hope and optimism for the day? Or was it something different?
There are days for all of us that just feel… weary. It’s when the action items for the day are too many to count. It’s when the burdens of friends and family weigh you down. It’s when you look at all that has to be done and you feel a near-crushing sense of anxiety. On those days, you want nothing more than for the day to not start at all. Instead of bouncing out of bed, you take a deep breath and have to will your feet to swing onto the floor.
When we hit days like that, we might think the solution to our weariness is more sleep. If we only had a nap we would have a better perspective. And sometimes that might well be true. Sleeping can be, after all, a very spiritual thing. Our bodies were made to exist in a rhythm of work and rest, and when we feel a deep sense of weariness, the solution might be that our natural rhythm has been compromised.
But sometimes the solution to weariness is not rest. It’s actually very different than that according to the book of Proverbs.
Like all the books in the Bible, Proverbs is divided into chapters and verses. But in most of the other books of the Bible, those text divisions mark shifts in content. Though Paul the apostle didn’t include chapters and verses in his letters, those have been added when we see him moving from one subject to another. They are helpful in marking these shifts of focus. But Proverbs is different.
One chapter in the book of Proverbs is not necessarily thematically consistent. That means you might have twenty-five proverbs in one chapter, and those proverbs might not necessarily relate directly to one another. Occasionally, though, you do find several proverbs within one chapter that bring out the same point of wisdom. Proverbs 11 is like that, and one of the points of wisdom we find in that chapter has to do with the remedy for weariness. Consider a couple of verse:
Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves (Prov. 11:17).
One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty (Prov. 11:24).
Now what do these proverbs have in common? Well, they both point out the divine principle of reciprocity. Put another way, they are pointing out that when we are willing to give of ourselves we find ourselves receiving. In verse 11, the proverb tells us that when we extend kindness, the person on the other end of that kindness isn’t the only one who benefits; we receive benefit as well. Same thing in verse 24 - when we give freely, we gain even more in return.
Now it’s important to remember that this principle is not about material blessing. It’s about the kind of joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment we receive only through giving to others. These verses ought to remind us of the New Testament version of this same principle: It is more blessed to give than receive (Acts 20:35).
That same principle relates to our weariness. In fact, we see it even more directly stated in the next proverb:
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed (Prov. 11:25).
The word “refresh” here literally refers to water. When we are willing to water others with kindness, compassion, or a listening ear, we find ourselves watered. We might even put it oppositely:
When we find ourselves weary, the solution is to ease the weariness of another. That’s the pathway to refreshment in the kingdom of God. Rather than turning inward in our weariness, we can turn outward and receive the unique kind of refreshment that only comes through giving.
Michael Kelley is a husband, father of three, author, and speaker from Nashville, TN. His latest book is a year-long family devotional guide called The Whole Story for the Whole Family. Find his personal blog at michaelkelley.co.