John 1:14 Exhaustion

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

It seems that every day we hear someone say (or we may say it ourselves) "I'm so tired. I'm just exhausted."
There is a weariness in our souls; there's an exhaustion in our bodies; we feel tired, worn out, disappointed, drained, poured out. 
How shall we replenish our energies? How shall we recover from our exhaustion? It seems deeper than what a night’s rest will cure. It seems more profound than merely the kind of relief you get relaxing in the evening after a day of hard work.

He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree shedding its blossoms. Job 15:33

This verse in Job was a picture that the people of Israel would be familiar with. The olives provided not just food, but oil for heating and light, ingredients for ointments and medicine, and the olive tree provided a fine wood for carpentry. The olive trees were easy to grow and did not require much water, and could be expected to live for over one hundred years. This is truly a picture of an inexhaustible resource.
But if for some reason it shed its blossoms? Dire indeed, as they counted on it for their livelihoods. What if it were to be "exhausted" and wither?
Our whole world is exhausted by conflict, yes, and our world is exhausted by its own moral uncertainty. We find that there is no real understanding any longer of what is right and what is wrong. We are tired, too, of struggling to be the people we should be.
What can we do to recover from our exhaustion?
We have hope for peace, and for renewal. We have a source for rest and refreshment, in spite of our exhaustion.
You see, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . . our Savior knows what it is to be weary. He understands.
In Jesus God has entered into the realities of pain and suffering, anguish and frustration, and has reached out a healing hand. In Jesus God has painted a picture of human life as it was intended, a little lower only than the angels, full of grace and truth. And God has said, follow Him, and you can live above your frustrations. Follow Him, and I will give you power to become. Your weariness can be healed and your exhaustion can be replenished. The word made flesh, power to become.


(Sincere thanks to Joseph Smith, retired pastor in Washington, DC for his sermon notes which helped me complete this post.)