When Weary Wants to Run, Hope Holds

One thing I LOVE about this blog and internet world – is how many SMART and LOVING women are rallying together. I have met so many of you and I love to hear about your journeys. When we moved to Orlando, I was connected with another blogger Stacey Thacker (founder of Mothers of Daughters). 

It wasn’t until this past year that we actually hung out. We went to a Women of Faith together and got to sneak backstage and visit with Lysa TerKeurst. As AWESOME as that was – do you know my favorite moment?

In front of my house afterwards. We just talked. Not blogger to blogger – but mom to mom. Friend to friend.

I got to hear the story of Stacey’s book born out of weariness for two moms just like us. I got to hear the heartbreaking story of losing her dad. I got to see HOPE up close and personal in here eyes. I am so delighted to celebrate the launch of her book this week and more delighted for you to hear directly from the wonderful author. She’s the real deal. Gem. Mom of four girls. Sold out for Jesus. Authentic and real.

Grab some coffee and curl up. – Courtney

When Weary Wants To Run, Hope Holds

by Stacey Thacker

 

I was making plans, once again, to run away and hide. The people who live in my house were heavy with needs, and I had nothing left to give them. It wasn’t spectacular, but my plans included a trip to Starbucks or maybe Target. Come to think of it, I could do both at the same time because some genius already knew I might want to shop and caffeinate simultaneously.

 

I envision it perfectly:

With my sugar free vanilla latte in hand I grab a red cart and linger in the cosmetic aisle looking for the perfect shade of red lipstick and walk over to housewares and to see if they have any new throw pillows. I listen to other moms try to wrangle their children while mine were home with my teenager watching something educational on Netflix. The escape was awesome. I am free from the neediness of all the people for at least an hour or so.”

 

Certainly, this would be the answer to my weariness today.

 

My plan was well crafted except for the small detail of execution. Today was not a day for running. There was simply too much to be accomplished and I was the one to do it. Nope, I was not going anywhere.
I’ve always wondered why I had the strong desire to run away when weariness settled deep within my heart. I have felt for sometime that I was the worst mother in the world for feeling this way. Until I discovered one of the meanings for the word weary in the Hebrew language is to “fly away.” Weary wants to run because it feels right. It is at the very core of what it means to be and feel weary. Weariness was producing the desire to flee inside of me because that is what it does.

 

This has never been truer for me than last year when I lost my dad after a courageous fight with cancer. I remember sitting at his funeral, tears streaming down my face, a broken mess of a girl, and unsure how I was going to stand up or hug one more person. In the middle of it all I had the strongest urge in my life to run away to Disney World. I wanted, for a while, to feel magical and good and happy. Even if it wasn’t real, I wanted to suspend reality for a few minutes.

 

I’ve learned slowly that growth doesn’t happen at Disney World; it happens in the places in our lives we would rather escape. These hard places might be wrapped in the normal mundaneness of Thursday, or the grief shattering loss of a loved one. Instead of running away, the key to walking through our weariness is learning to run to Jesus, the hope of all the world. Because even through the strong urge to run, Hope willingly holds us.   

 

We don’t really want a mocha frappe when we are weary. What we really want is rest for our weary souls. Mamas, we have got to get into the habit of running to him and not from him. And honestly, I’m speaking to this mama first.” Hope for the Weary Mom, p 96.

 

 

To run to Jesus is to stir up hope in my weary mama heart. It moves toward God and looks forward to all He has promised. It acts like grace applied to needy children, knowing that I am desperate for grace myself. It breathes a deep healing in places I thought I would never see whole again. Hope—through Christ—brings forth the miracle of changing more than just my circumstances. Hope changes my heart. Hope is holding me. And that is so much better than any trip to Target with our without the vanilla latte.

Stacey Thacker is a wife and the mother of four vibrant girls. She is a writer and speaker who loves God’s Word. Her passion is to connect with women and encourage them in their walks with God. You can find her blogging at staceythacker.com and hanging out on Twitter or Instagram @staceythacker.

 

Hope for the Weary Mom is available wherever books are sold. During the week of February 3, 2015, special offers are available for anyone who buys 1 book or 10. Find out more at staceythacker.com.