Tired

Growing up in the 70's in Wheeling, WVa there were not many options when it came to listening to the radio, and they were pretty well limited to the AM side of the dial. There was a country station and a couple of pop stations; occasionally when the weather was just right, you could pick up an FM station or two from Pittsburgh and hear some "good" music.

One of the things I discovered upon moving to Texas was Willie Nelson. I was listening to one of my Willie cds this morning on the way to the men's breakfast and this song just grabbed my attention. Here is the second verse and chorus:

I married Rebecca back in '77
And I still love her, and I guess
she loves me too
We go to church on Sundays
'cause we want to go to Heaven
Me and my family, ain't that how
you're supposed to do

But, I'm tired, Lord, I'm tired
Life is wearin' me smooth down to
the bone
No rest for the weary, you just
move on
And I'm tired, Lord, I'm tired.

I think Willie describes a world without a real sense of hope, and certainly a world where the idea of an abundant life doesn't exist. In the life he describes, you do the best you can to fulfill your duties and responsibilities, and hope it was good enough to earn a reward. How many people wear themselves down struggling through life with little or no sense of hope? With little or no sense of confidence in the grace of God to not only ease their burdens in this life, but to ensure their eternal life in heaven?