IS 40:25-31
PS 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 AND 10
MT 11:28-30
To whom can you liken me as an equal?
says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high
and see who has created these things:
He leads out their army and numbers them,
calling them all by name.
By his great might and the strength of his power
not one of them is missing!
Why, O Jacob, do you say,
and declare, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?
Do you not know
or have you not heard?
The LORD is the eternal God,
creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint nor grow weary,
and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.
He gives strength to the fainting;
for the weak he makes vigor abound.
Though young men faint and grow weary,
and youths stagger and fall,
They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength,
they will soar as with eagles’ wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint.
I am really good at over reacting. It’s a special skill of mine, actually. I have the ability to find reasons to worry about and overanalyze just about anything. These last few months in particular have been filled with plenty of fodder to completely blow out of proportion. In most instances, my friends and family are able to help me reign in my outlandish expectations and conclusions. As amazing as their advice is, however, sometimes it takes our own personal soul searching to realize the reality of a situation.
When I transferred to SLU at the beginning of this year, I was sure that my undergraduate career was over. I felt like I had failed at my first school and was now desperately trying to reorganize my life. This past semester at SLU, I’ve switched my major twice, declared and undeclared a minor, altered my intended graduation semester 3 times, and have completely redefined what direction I see my life going. Needless to say, there’s been plenty to overanalyze.
In this passage from Isaiah 40, God is calling out the over-analyzers of the world. She’s speaking to those of us who get so caught up in the details and the worst-possible outcomes that we forget the big picture. “Have you really forgotten?” says God. No, you’re just choosing not to remember. “Maybe you haven’t heard?” She says next. No, you’ve heard plenty of times, you’re just choosing to close your ears. God does not grow faint nor weary and She will not let her children do so either. Do you believe that? Do you trust that? Even when it feels like the world is against you and everything is falling apart, God is beside you and you are stronger because of Her.
It’s been very easy for me to forget or “not hear” these truths these past few months. When I think of my struggles, I think of myself alone in a fight against this big, unpredictable world. I don’t imagine my family, my friends, or even God at my side. This is where I need to change; I must trust that God is with me in these struggles. We must each trust that our lives will turn out okay and that switching a school or changing a major or reevaluating a dream is not the end of our respective journeys toward greatness. God gives each of us strength and provides “vigor abound”. And even though you might get tired (yes, yes I am tired) and even if you fall a couple times (probably more than a couple), She is beside you and will help you keep going. With faith and trust in God, you will keep running and never grow weary.
Beatrice is a sophomore at SLU studying Political Science.
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