A leaf-strewn path winding between trees
Embracing Gratitude in the Weariness 21

by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan

***For those who are new to this site, I wanted to introduce you to award-winning novelist, Lisa Jordan. You can learn more about he below. On the last Tuesday of each month, she shares a post in this space. Enjoy her words today!***

Last weekend, my husband and son returned home from hunting and foraging for mushrooms. My husband asked if I had finished my work yet. I told him, “No, and I still had a lot more to do.”

I have a book proposal due to my editor at the end of the month. I still had things to finish from the week. Not to mention three blog posts, a newsletter, and an email inbox with unread emails that was edging toward four digits.

But it was Saturday. I had already put in a full week. I was tired. 

A bare tree symbolic of the weariness we sometimes feel
Embracing Gratitude in the Weariness 22

When Others See Our Weariness

My husband wanted to spend quality time with me. He saw I needed a break from the busyness in my life. He knew the best way was to get me out of the house, away from my computer. 

My people-pleasing tendencies were colliding with my values of family and quality time. I wanted to please my husband, yet I also wanted to please my editor, my readers, my other obligations. 

My people-pleasing tendencies were colliding with my values of family and quality time. #weariness #gratitude@lisajordan Click To Tweet
A tunnel symbolic of how we can move from weariness into beauty and into being refreshed
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Swallowing my frustration and guilt, I shut down my computer, showered, and prepared to spend the afternoon with my husband.

As we headed out, I had to admit—my heart just wasn’t in it. My to-do list scrolled through my head as a tight band wrapped around my chest. How was I going to get everything done in time? How was I going to be present when we needed quality time together?

However, the moment I stepped out of the car and filled my lungs with autumn-soaked fresh air, thoughts of my to-do list scattered from my mind like the fallen leaves skittering across our path. 

Trees with yellow and green leaves and colorful leaves strewn on the ground
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A bridge symbolic of how we can move from weariness into being refreshed
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For the next two hours, we walked a three-mile trail around a nearby lake. Sunlight streamed through the branches and dappled the dirt road as our dog locked on different scents and my husband and I strolled hand in hand. We paused every now and then to take pictures or to examine deer, bear, or coyote tracks in the mud. As we talked and laughed together, the stress of the week melted away. I was able to focus on him, be present in the moment, and appreciate the beauty of God’s creation around me. 

I was able to breathe.

To fill my lungs with the air of God’s grace and know, without a doubt, He was with me in the midst of my busyness. 

A lake surrounded by reeds and pine trees on a blue sky autumn day
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When Others Come Alongside Us

I belong to a group of seven Godly women writers. They are an integral part of my writing team—mentors and friends. Each of us has a day where we are prayed over, and my day is every Sunday. The morning after my walk with my husband, I had shared my weariness with them. Weary of social media. Weary of politics. Weary of injustice. Weary of arguments. Weary of the burdens of 2020.

Just plain weary. 

Looking straight up at the tops of trees with red, yellow, and green leaves and a blue sky backdrop
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I shared about my husband’s encouragement to get me out of the house and a few pictures I had taken on our walk. 

Two friends prayed over me, their words soaking into me as my heart absorbed every word. As I sat in church, my pastor’s sermon spoke to those weary places, leaving me encouraged to remember Who was really in control of my day. Later, I took a quick minute to scroll through Facebook, and a friend had posted a meme with one of my favorite verses: 

The author, Lisa Jordan, with a backdrop of yellow leaves
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Meme: "'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.'" ~Matthew 11:28-30 NIV on a backdrop of a lake and trees on the far bank
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Easing Weariness

Even in my weariness, in my decision fatigue, in the dregs of this pandemic, God is there. Instead of focusing on my to-do list, I started a blessings list:

  • I’m so grateful for my husband’s ability to see when I need a break, even when I refused to see it myself.
  • I’m grateful for living in an area where I can soak in God’s soul-restorative creation. 
  • I’m grateful for praying friends who lift me up when the weariness weighs me down.
  • I’m grateful for God whose promises to give me rest. 

What about you? How are you feeling today? What are you grateful for in this time of weariness and fatigue? What Godly promises are you clinging to in order to find the rest your soul needs?

This week, I’m linking up with Grace and Truth#RaRaLinkup, and #Instaencouragements. Come join and read more encouraging posts!

lisa jordan 2 copy

Bio: Heart, home, and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. Represented by Cynthia Ruchti of Books & Such Literary Management, Lisa is an award-winning author for Love Inspired, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. Her latest book, A Love Redeemed, released in September 2020. She is the operations manager for Novel Academy, powered by My Book Therapy. Happily married to her own real-life hero for over thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two grown sons. When she isn’t writing, Lisa enjoys family time, kayaking, good books, and being creative with words, fibers, and photos. Visit her at lisajordanbooks.com

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