“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
Notice the conditional at the end — “if we do not give up.” Paul doesn’t promise the harvest comes on your timetable. He promises it comes in due season, and the only thing that actually forfeits it isn’t the harvest failing to show up. It’s quitting before it does.
This matters because doing good rarely feels rewarding in the moment it’s happening. The patient parenting, the faithful volunteering, the quiet acts of service nobody applauds — these things plant seeds you usually can’t see growing. Weariness sets in exactly because the seed and the harvest are separated by a season you can’t control the length of.
Growing weary isn’t a moral failure — it’s what happens to anyone doing something hard for long enough without visible results. The instruction isn’t “don’t feel tired.” It’s “don’t let the tiredness talk you into stopping.” Those are two very different battles, and only one of them is actually yours to win today.
Reflect: Where have you been tempted to give up on something good simply because the results haven’t come yet?
Prayer: Lord, give me strength to keep doing good even when I can’t see the harvest yet. Don’t let me quit in the season right before it comes. Amen.