Weary in Well-Doing
The speaker once wanted to go and work, but God required staying and resting; now those desires are reversed, and God commands action. Troubled by doubt, the speaker obeys and asks Christ when the daily toil can end in rest with Him.
By Christina Georgina Rossetti · Genre: Christian Devotional Poetry, Lyric Poetry · 158 words
First lines
I would have gone; God bade me stay: / I would have worked; God bade me rest. / He broke my will from day to day, / He read my yearnings unexpressed, / And said them nay.
Now I would stay; God bids me go: / Now I would rest; God bids me work. / He breaks my heart tossed to and fro, / My soul is wrung with doubts that lurk / And vex it so.
I go, Lord, where Thou sendest me; / Day after day I plod and moil: / But, Christ my God, when will it be / That I may let alone my toil / And rest with Thee?
Genres
- Christian Devotional Poetry — The speaker addresses Christ as God, submits to His commands, and prays for rest with Him.
- Lyric Poetry — Three rhymed stanzas express the speaker's frustrated desires, doubts, and weariness in a personal address to God.
Tags
obedience · spiritual weariness · doubt · daily toil · prayer · rest with God
What this Textopian page supports
Weary in Well-Doing is listed on Textopian as a poem by Christina Georgina Rossetti, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Christian Devotional Poetry, Lyric Poetry
- Length: 158 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
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