When the Storm Hits Again!
Have you ever felt like you're constantly cleaning up the same mess over and over again? Like, no matter how hard you work, another disaster is waiting just around the corner?
Recently, the forestry workers did a major clean-up on the trails where Jason and I like to walk Tess. After several storms battered our area, downed trees and branches had turned our favorite hiking paths into an obstacle course. The crew spent days out there with heavy machinery, clearing debris and making everything safe again. I remember thinking how wonderful it was to see the trails restored and ready for use.
But then, just a few days after they finished, another wave of storms rolled through Wales. More trees came down. More branches littered the paths. In fact, the trails looked worse than they did before the first cleanup. I stood there staring at the mess and thought about how easy it would be for that crew to just throw up their hands and say, "Why bother? What's the point?"
But they didn't. Once the storms cleared, those faithful workers were right back out there with their equipment, cleaning up the debris all over again. They simply got back to work, doing what needed to be done.
Life's Endless Clean-Up Crew
If I'm honest, my life often feels exactly like those forestry trails. I finally get one area cleaned up, and before I can catch my breath, another storm hits. The dishes pile up again. The bills keep coming. The same old temptations rear their ugly heads. We fix the water leak, and the car breaks down. It’s one thing after another!
It's exhausting, isn't it? We work so hard to make progress, grow spiritually, overcome that particular sin or struggle, and then—BAM!—we're right back where we started, or so it seems. The temptation to quit is overwhelming. Why keep trying when it feels so futile?
But here's what the Lord has been teaching me through those faithful forestry workers: our efforts are never wasted, even when it feels like they are.
God's Promise to the Weary
The Bible speaks directly to this struggle. In Galatians 6:9, God's Word says, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Did you catch that? We WILL reap a harvest. Not maybe. Not possibly. We WILL…if we don't give up.
The problem is that we're often looking for immediate results. We want to see the fruit of our labor right now, today, this minute. But God says "in due season"—in His time, not ours. Those forestry workers kept clearing because they understood the work is worth doing, even if it has to be done again. The trails serve a purpose. People need those paths.
The same is true in our spiritual lives. Just because we face the same battles repeatedly doesn't mean we're failing. It means we're still in the fight. We haven't given up. We're still running the race, even when our legs feel like lead, and our hearts are heavy with discouragement.
James 1:12 reminds us, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." There's a reward waiting for those who persevere, who keep cleaning up the mess even when another storm is forecast for tomorrow.
The Strength to Continue
Now, I'm not saying this is easy. Goodness knows I've had my share of pity parties when I've wanted to quit. But what I'm learning is that God doesn't expect us to do this in our own strength.
When we feel like we can't take another step, He becomes our strength. Psalm 73:26 says, "My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." When we're too tired to keep going, He carries us. When we're too discouraged to see the point, He reminds us of the bigger picture.
Those forestry workers went back to work because the job mattered. Our spiritual work matters even more. Every time we choose obedience over sin, extend grace instead of bitterness, or get back up after falling down, it matters. God sees it, and God promises that none of it is in vain.
So today, whatever mess you're facing, don't give up. Keep clearing the debris. Keep doing the work God has called you to do. The harvest is coming, and it will be worth every moment of the struggle.
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)