Relational Weariness

“I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons.” (Psalm 69:8)

In this psalm, David writes of how he is despised and forsaken because of his dedication to God. Even his own family has alienated him.

Our circumstances most likely (though don’t necessarily) differ from David’s. We might not be facing relational weariness and difficulty specifically because of our faith, but that doesn’t mean that all our relationships will be easy or simple.

Maybe your faith is the complicating factor. Maybe it’s anxiety, a dying social battery, past hurt and rejection, a full schedule, hostility, burnout, or just general awkwardness, but no matter what challenges there are, relationships are hard and sometimes exhausting.

Maybe you have been hurt by others or have hurt someone yourself. Sometimes, it feels easy to question whether it is even worth it to put in the effort that relationships require. We often feel helpless when it comes to beginning or repairing relationships but there is help to be found.

Christ has repaired our relationship with him and he is able to give us wisdom in how we navigate our relationships here and to give us rest and peace even in the middle of really complicated relationships. That might not look like the complete repairing of all our relationships in this life. It might look like finding a gracious way to end an unhealthy relationship or like digging to find hope and peace and healing from a very painful relationship, but whatever the case may be, let us trust Christ to give us rest.