Are you exhausted? Everything about our modern culture seems to drive us to unattainable goals at unsustainable speeds. The 24/7 news cycle, social media, job and familial expectations, all keep us hurtling through time with little chance of stopping to figure out where it is we’re going. Today, exhaustion is both normal and a badge of honor. If you aren’t exhausted, you must be doing something wrong or missing out.
Of course, exhaustion is nothing new. Jesus was so worn out from doing the work of His Father that He was sleeping through a terrifying storm while reclining in a boat. (Mark 4:37–38) The disciples were so tired they couldn’t stay awake to pray with Jesus just hours before His execution. (Matthew 26:40–43) There are legitimate reasons for exhaustion, and then there is the inexcusable cause of indifference.
The night before His crucifixion, Jesus went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Matthew 26:36) Leaving eight of the disciples at the gate, Peter, James, and John walked into the garden with Christ. He instructed them to keep watch and to pray. They did neither. They were so tired Jesus came back three times from praying and found them asleep each time. (Matthew 26:40–45)
Reading through the Gospels, we can see they had a busy day, and an even busier week. If that’s why they were so tired, it’s understandable. But if they were tired, how much more would Jesus have been? Yet Jesus found the energy to pray despite intense grief and temptation. His focus was on the spiritual and eternal, while the disciples gave in to their flesh. (Matthew 26:41; Galatians 5:17)
Their exhaustion might also have been because they were grieving the fact that Jesus told them His time to die was near. But He had told them He was going to die several times before (Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:22–23; Matthew 20:18–19), and they never seemed to grasp the reality of it. (Luke 18:31–34) Thus, we’d have to give them an enormous benefit of the doubt for this to be true, but it is a possibility. (Luke 22:45) Which begs the question: are you exhausted because you’ve been so busy living like Jesus or grieving over lost souls? That is not often the case.
A third reason we might be exhausted is indifference. If we’re going to be worn out, it should be because we have been so diligent in pursuing the mission and commands of Christ. (Matthew 28:19–20; 1 Corinthians 15:58) Our problem is that it’s the pursuit of the things of this world that leaves us wiped out and hitting a wall. (1 John 2:15–17; Ecclesiastes 2:22–23) We are treating the lost around us with indifference at best, and contempt at worst, if we’re that consumed with our selfish desires and pursuits.
Are you exhausted? It’s a sinful way to live if it’s for any reason other than a relentless pursuit of serving Christ and loving others. (Mark 12:29–31) We have one purpose in this life, and that is to obey Christ in all things. (John 14:15; Ecclesiastes 12:13) He promises to give us rest, not exhaustion. (Matthew 11:28–30) If you do not have peace, you are not seeking Christ. You are seeking something far less valuable and far less worthy.
We let too many distractions into our lives. No doubt we would have been sleeping right alongside the disciples, and we can’t make that mistake. Time is running out, and the hour of Christ’s return could be at any moment. (Matthew 24:42–44; Romans 13:11) He warned us to be alert and ready for His return. (Mark 13:33–37) Don’t let Him find you sleeping. (1 Thessalonians 5:6; Luke 12:37).