When my children were young, they wanted a puppy. I am not a dog lover, but my wife is, and she grew up with multiple dogs. My children all promised that they would help take care of the dog, suggesting they would feed the dog, walk it, and take it to the bathroom outside regularly. As many parents soon find out, this is often not the case.
Although my wife is the dog lover, it soon became routine for me to rise early in the morning to take the dog for a walk and feed him. However, this was not all that bad. I am a morning person and enjoy waking up early, reading my Bible, drinking coffee, having breakfast with my family, and getting a lot of work done. Having this new dog gave me another reason to wake up earlier and be even more productive in the morning.
Yet, waking up extra early also came with another dilemma. I would get tired earlier in the day. Often, by the time my children came home, I was pretty fatigued, lacking energy, and itching for a power nap. Moreover, as my children turned into teenagers, the afternoon and evenings often meant picking them up from after-school activities and sports or driving them to youth group or school activities that met in the evenings. While all this comes with the responsibility as a parent of teenagers, I soon realized that my energy and stamina were not limitless. When my energy was running low, it sometimes caused negative things to occur.
When my energy ran low later in the day, I was sometimes easily irritable with my spouse and children. I would lose my cool more readily and not be as patient with them. Sometimes I felt like I was doing all the work around the house and my wife and children were not pulling their weight. I felt like I “deserved” a nap, as well as some more acknowledgment for my efforts from my family. In these moments of weakness that I was not being recognized for my efforts. Sometimes these feelings manifested themselves in how I treated my family.
I had to let the gospel speak to my heart when my energy was running low and causing a negative impact in my relationship with my family. Here is how the gospel spoke to me.
I am limited; God is not.
First, I had to realize that I am a finite human being and have limited energy, and only God has infinite energy and does not get tired. Psalm 121:3-4 reminds us that “ He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” I require sleep and refreshment every day, but God does not. I am not God, and I require rest. It is part of my humanity. It is part of who I am and who God is. When I was running out of energy during the day, it was important for me to realize that I can’t do everything, I am far from perfect, and I need to look to my God, who does not rest or slumber. In my humanity, I need to put my trust in Jesus when I am weary.
I am a sinner; I need God.
As I realized my finite humanity, I also needed to recognize in my moments of low energy, I sometimes acted like the broken sinner I am. Romans 3:23 states that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Sometimes, in my afternoon fatigue, I needed to meditate on this truth again. Instead, I was wallowing in my feelings of negativity or even feelings of entitlement, resentful that I was doing so much. Instead, I needed to reflect on and know again that I am a sinful, broken human, just like my family, and that we all need the grace and love of Jesus.
Jesus refreshes me when I come to him.
Finally, in my times of low energy and fatigue, it was good to know the gospel invitation of Jesus: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30). I could come to Jesus again and again, when my low energy and fatigue had me failing as a father, and I would be forgiven for my failure. In the same way, I could now be bold enough to confess my failures to my family and repent to them. In my low energy and physical fatigue, I could find refreshment and hope in Jesus, through prayer, his Word, and even the occasional power nap.
Ultimately, we are all finite beings, and parenting children and teenagers is hard. Our weakness sometimes causes us to sin against our families. But the gospel of Jesus is true, and he is our God who does not slumber or fail us. We are finite, but God is infinite. Let’s find hope in him, even in our low-energy times.
