Carl Pollard
Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
There’s a very unique kind of exhaustion that comes from caring deeply about things that others seem to take lightly. It’s the exhaustion of trying to lead people who don’t want to be led. Of encouraging people who don’t seem interested in growing. Of pouring yourself into something only to wonder whether any of it’s making a difference.
And possibly the hardest part is realizing that you can’t make someone care. You can teach the truth, but you can’t make someone love it. You can encourage faithfulness, but you can’t force someone to be faithful. You can show someone what God expects, but you can’t make the decision for them.
Even Jesus experienced this. In Matthew 23:37, Jesus lamented over Jerusalem, saying, “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Look at those last few words, “You were not willing.” Jesus was willing. He wanted to gather them. He wanted what was best for them. But they refused. And if the perfect Son of God encountered unwilling hearts, we shouldn’t be surprised when we encounter them ourselves.
But there’s a kind of danger in caring deeply.
If we’re not careful, our disappointment with people can become bitterness toward people.
We begin measuring our efforts by their responses. We get frustrated when people don’t grow as quickly as we think they should. We start noticing who isn’t there more than appreciating who is. And slowly, the very people we once wanted to help become the people who exhaust us.
Moses experienced this, and so did Elijah and Paul. In 2 Corinthians 12:15, Paul wrote, “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.” Then he asked a painful question, “If I love you more, am I to be loved less?” Paul understood what it meant to give more than he received. To love people who didn’t always return that love. To sacrifice for people who didn’t always appreciate the sacrifice.
Yet he was still willing to be spent. Why?!
Because Paul’s faithfulness wasn’t solely dependent upon other people’s appreciation.
And neither can ours be.
There will be times when the work is encouraging. People will grow and souls are saved. Families become stronger. Christians step forward and begin serving. But there will also be times when attendance declines, enthusiasm fades, and the people you thought would step forward seem content to remain exactly where they are. What do you do then? You remember Galatians 6:9!
Paul doesn’t say we won’t grow weary. In fact, his warning assumes that weariness is a real possibility. He just tells us NOT to surrender to it. Paul doesn’t promise that we’ll see the harvest immediately. He says we’ll reap “in due season.”
Some of the seeds we plant today may not bear fruit for years. Some of the people we encourage may not understand our concern until much later. And some of the good we accomplish may never be fully visible to us in this life. But none of that makes the work meaningless.
In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”
There’s freedom in understanding what that verse means. Our responsibility is to plant and water. God’s responsibility is to give the increase. And sometimes our frustration comes from trying to assume a responsibility that God never gave us.
We can’t produce conviction in another person’s heart. We can’t manufacture spiritual maturity. We can’t force someone to become what God calls them to be. We can only faithfully do our part. That doesn’t mean we stop challenging people. It doesn’t mean we lower expectations or become satisfied with spiritual mediocrity. It means we learn to distinguish between being responsible to people and being responsible for their decisions.
Sometimes, while we’re grieving over the people who aren’t responding, we overlook the people who are. Elijah once believed he was the only faithful servant left in Israel. But God reminded him that seven thousand hadn’t bowed to Baal (1 Kings 19:18).
Elijah’s discouragement had narrowed his perspective. Ours can too.
There are still people who want to grow. There are still families trying to raise godly children. There are still Christians quietly fighting temptation, overcoming sin, and making sacrifices that nobody else sees.
Don’t become so consumed with those who refuse to grow that you neglect those who are desperately trying!
And don’t allow the failures of others to steal the joy of your own service. One day, every servant of God will stand before the Lord.
On that day, the question won’t be whether everyone listened to us, appreciated us, or responded the way we hoped. The question will be whether we were faithful with what God entrusted to us.
You can care deeply without carrying what only God can carry. Love people, challenge them, teach them, pray for them, and sacrifice for them! But don’t allow their unwillingness to destroy your willingness.
Keep planting, keep watering, and keep loving. And when you’re tired, remember that the Lord never asked you to produce every result. He asked you to be faithful. And faithfulness is never wasted!
