Cure For Weariness Series

On Friday March 28, 1947, at 6:55 A.M., Bronx bus driver William Cimillo got into his bus to start his daily route. But, fed up with New York traffic, Cimillo decided he'd had enough. Instead of taking his daily route, he headed south, going nowhere in particular. He stopped in New Jersey for a bite to eat, and parked in front of the White House and took a look around D.C.

Three days later, he was in Hollywood, Florida, where he stopped for a nighttime swim. Cimillo was totally free… but strapped for cash. He telegrammed his boss in New York, asking for $50. That's when the cops showed up. Two New York detectives and a mechanic were sent to fetch the runaway driver and his bright red bus, but according to Cimillo, the mechanic couldn't drive the bus, so they had Cimillo drive them back to New York. When they arrived, William Cimillo discovered he'd become a legend. People across the country sent him fan mail, newspapers portrayed him as a working-class hero, and his bus-driving buddies raised enough cash to cover his legal expenses.

As a result, the Surface Transportation System, in order not to look bad, decided not to prosecute. In fact, they gave Cimillo his job back, and he drove that bus for 28 more years until he died in 1975. It seems that those three crazy days in 1947 were more than enough adventure for William Cimillo. Asked why he did it, the bus driver would explain: “I just wanted to get away from everything. This New York traffic gets you. It's like driving in a squirrel cage” (Nolan Moore, “William Cimillo, The Runaway Bus Driver,” Knowledge Nuts, 4-14-15; www.PreachingToday.com).

Sometimes, life just gets to you, doesn’t it? You get weary of the daily grind, and even your love for the Lord grows cold. So, what do you do in those times? What do you do when the enthusiasm wanes and the shine of your commitment wears off?

That was the problem with the ancient Jews 400 years before Christ. 100 years earlier, they had returned from their exile in Babylon. Those were exciting times as they worked together to rebuild the temple, their homes, and their city. But a hundred years later, life became a dull, boring routine. Even their worship in the new temple grew stale, and their spiritual disciplines had devolved into a daily grind.

That’s when God sent them the last of His prophets, the prophet Malachi. God gave him six messages, designed to shake His people out of their doldrums. So, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to the last book in the Old Testament, the book of Malachi, which literally means “My messenger.” For Malachi was God’s messenger, with a message about what to do when the shine wears off your life, your commitment to God, and even your marriage. Please, turn with me to the book of Malachi, chapter 1, starting at verse 1.

Malachi 1:1-5 The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. “I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the LORD of hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the LORD is angry forever.’ ” Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, “Great is the LORD beyond the border of Israel!” (ESV)

The Jews were questioning God’s love for them, but He responds, “Just look at your neighbors, the Edomites, Esau’s descendants. Compared to them, you’re doing really well.” That’s what God means when He says, “I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated.” He is not talking about the individual brothers. He is talking about the nations that came from them. 100 years after the Jews returned from their Babylonian captivity, Jacob’s nation is thriving while Esau’s nation lies desolate.

Yet, in the dull routines of their lives, the Jews forgot how much God really loved them. So God reminds them of His love, and He reminds you of His love, as well. Now, that’s where you start when the shine wears off your life and your commitment to Him. The first thing you do is…

REMEMBER GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU.

Bring to mind the depths of His compassion for you. Realize how much He has demonstrated His affection for you.

For over 50 years, the rock icon Bruce Springsteen has turned his struggle into songs, his unrest into performance. In his 2016 memoir, Springsteen tries to overcome the issues he had with his father. One of the book's most moving passages occurs a few days before the 1990 birth of Springsteen's first child, his son Evan. His father Doug Springsteen embarked on an impulsive, impromptu road trip, driving 400 miles south to Bruce's house in Los Angeles from San Mateo. Over beers at 11 A.M., Doug, uncharacteristically, made a small peace offering to his son. “Bruce, you've been very good to us,” he said. And then, after a pause: “And I wasn't very good to you.”