“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Galations 6:9

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My mom quotes this verse a lot. Most often she quotes it in the context of raising kids and showing up for that mundane and ridiculously difficult challenge that is trying to teach your kids to be good people.

It’s encouraging and challenging and tends to point me back to the bigger questions of where my help comes from. Am I a self-sustaining marvel or do I rely on someone greater? Am I capable of not losing heart or do I need to surrender my heart to continue on in order to remain? How do I know I am doing good? And how do I not get tired while I’m doing good?

I want the reward (we shall reap) but how do I know I’m meeting all the parameters in this verse?

Maybe our reward is more about the faithfulness of God than anything else.

Because on my own, I certainly can’t have too much expectation of fulfilling these conditions.

The only way I know to be faithful is to rely on God’s faithfulness.

I keep showing up – yes – but when I don’t, if I miss a day or moment or month of opportunities to keep doing good, God will not grow weary and He will keep doing good. With or without me.

Even if I lose heart, God’s still there grabbing up my hand and saying, “We’ve got this. And really you just have to walk next to me. I’ve got this.”

So in the end that harvest promised because of how we are?

It’s all good.

We need to be faithful and carry on, but even when the day is hard: God’s got this.

And that is ultimately where hope is.

“For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.'”

Isaiah 41:13

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This took a little longer than five minutes, more than a little, but I had to finish this thought.

Linking up with Five Minute Friday on the word: Reward.