And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. 

(Galatians 6:9–10 NKJV)

There’s a humorous incident that Patsy Clairmont tells about in her book God Uses Cracked Pots. It happened with her son, Jason.

She writes, “When he was 7, I sent him off to school one day and a little while later there was a knock at the door and I opened the door and it was Jason. I said, ‘Jason, what are you doing here?’” 

He said, “I’ve quit school!” 

She said, “Why have you quit school?” 

He said, “Well, it was too long, it was too hard, and it was too boring.”

She said, “Jason, you have just described life — get back on the bus!”

There are times when that description fits our lives a little too well.  Long, hard and boring.  Not just for a day or two, but stretched out over weeks, months, sometimes even years.  And when life feels that way, doing what is good or what is right can start to feel like a heavy burden.

You keep showing up.  You keep serving. You keep trying to do the right thing.  But it feels unnoticed, unappreciated and maybe even ineffective. You begin to wonder, “Is any of what I’m doing making a difference?”  That’s when weariness sets in.  Not just physical fatigue, but a discouragement of the heart.

That’s exactly the kind of moment the apostle Paul has in mind when he writes, “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9 NKJV)

Paul doesn’t pretend the weariness isn’t real but he reminds us that there is a harvest coming.  Seeds grow under the soil long before anything breaks the surface. Faithfulness often works the same way.

But notice the condition Paul attaches: “if we do not lose heart.” The real battle is not just continuing the work; it’s guarding your heart from giving up. It’s choosing to believe that what you’re doing matters, even when you don’t feel it.

So if today feels long, hard, and maybe even a little boring, don’t quit. Keep doing good. Keep showing up. What feels small and unnoticed now may one day become part of a harvest you didn’t even realize you were planting.

Prayer: Father, you know how easy it is for us to grow weary. You see our efforts, and the moments when we wonder if anything we do really matters. Strengthen our hearts today. Give us endurance to keep doing good, faith to trust your timing, and hope to believe that a harvest is coming.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day