Life can be exhausting.

But it shouldn’t be continually exhausting.

I’ve noticed a correlation between a continual weariness and wrongness. When we are continually weary, we are likely living wrongly in one area of life.

Seasons of exhaustion cannot be avoided:

• nursing a newborn
• caring for a dying parent
• undergoing treatment for a disease
• experiencing grief
• an unusual time at work

are all exhausting seasons which can only be endured.

Yet, outside the rare seasons of life, weariness is a symptom of a life out of rhythm.

It’s a sign we are ignoring who we were created to be and how we were created to live.

• Marriage is not supposed to be continually exhausting.
• Parenting is not supposed to create an unending weariness.
• Our job is not supposed to always be a dread.

When we experience exhaustion outside of a short season, it is a sign that changes need to be made.

The good news is that few things motivate change as much as exhaustion.

The bad news is that when we are exhausted, we are rarely in the right mind to make a good decision.

Most bad decisions are made in the midst of exhaustion.

We become exhausted and desperately want something to change, so we:

• search for extra attention from someone of the opposite sex
• we quit our job without any plan for other employment
• we go into debt to buy something we don’t need

We are right when we think something needs to change, but we are often wrong in knowing what should change.

Whenever we experience weariness, we should be quick to review our lives, but slow in making major changes without the guidance of others.

Instead of making major changes, weariness should cause us to make minor tweaks to our schedule, routines, and habits in order to get back into a proper rhythm.

For example:

If your marriage is creating exhaustion, a simple tweak of spending two minutes at the beginning, middle and end of your day communicating to one another could change your marital climate.

If your job is an unending dread, finding a place to volunteer after work can give you something to anticipate.

If your kids are always wearisome, spending time with them outside the normal routine of homework, ball games, and doctor’s appointments can reconnect the bond.

Seasons of weariness cannot be avoided, but a regular pattern of exhaustion is a warning sign that something is wrong.

Seeing the sign and doing something about it can change the direction of your family, your marriage, and your life.

What is one change you can make to your marriage which might change the exhaustion?

What is one change you can make regarding work which might create rest?