NIV: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
NLT: So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.
Thoughts about why we would become weary in doing good:
- Do we feel taken for granted and under appreciated?
- Do we get tired of doing good because we think we are the only ones doing good?
- Are we doing good for brownie points - or just to work off a list - and we don't engage in the moment we spend in this good deed? And therefore we would simply become tired working off the list?
- Are we looking for a reward every time we do something good? Know anyone like that? Could it be that is our attitudes, too?
Some reasons to do good:
- There's a lot of satisfaction in doing good when you don't need to. I have better days and sleep better at night.
- Doing good sometimes produces rewards later down the line, when I need a reward (a helping hand from someone else).
- Doing good produces friends, and who doesn't need a friend? I surely need all my friends!
- Doing good is what God expects of me. After all, none of my "doing good" will ever equal the good he has done for me. When I do good, it's my response to the good God has done for me, even when I don't deserve that good.
- I am disappointed in myself when I do "bad" to someone, whether it's a harsh word wrought from my own exasperation or frustration or an opportunity to help someone who is in need.
Note to self: Doing good doesn't always mean being "nice." "Nice" and "good" are not necessarily the same thing. But "not nice" should always be delivered in and with love and acceptance.
