The Story Behind ‘From Weary To Worship

Dear Sister,

Hello and welcome to “From Weary To Worship”. I am very glad to meet you here. My name is Kelly Arena and I am, first and foremost, a child of God. My life has been marked by various physical difficulties including a rare genetic disability diagnosed when I was twelve years old that results in chronic pain. I feel humbled and fortunate that my various physical and emotional ailments have only deepened my personal relationship with the Lord, and He has drawn my heart closer to His.

After tragically losing a friend who struggled with a chronic illness, and befriending many, many ladies over the years who have chronic conditions, my heart began stirring towards this unique group of Christians. My hope is anchored in Jesus, but sometimes my heart is still prone to weariness, and often my legs feel quite weary as well. Ministry has been on my heart for over a dozen years, and the journey here has left me awe-struck. I’m amazed at how God has orchestrated each moment and each interaction I’ve ever had with others to land me here. The title, “From Weary to Worship” is born out of exactly how I feel about this ministry. I am weary. But my heart’s desire is to worship God in spite of my circumstances. He is always worthy of my worship.

The theme verse is Job 1:20-21, “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

My junior year of high school I heard the praise song “Blessed Be the Name of the Lord” (which quotes the verse in Job) and it quickly became my favorite song at that time. Little did I know that the following year I would lose five friends in a span of seven months, including my friend who struggled with a chronic illness. I realize this is not at all comparable to Job’s suffering, but I had to ask the question over and again, ‘Was I going to bless the Lord during that season of crisis and grief or not?’

Two years ago at a conference for speakers and writers, “From Weary To Worship” became clear to me, and I prayed specially for a theme verse to anchor on, and Job 1:20-21 could not be ignored.

Job was not a perfect man, but oh to be able to fall to my knees and bow my head and bless the Lord after what happened in verses 1-19? Wow.

As someone who struggles daily to one degree or another, my prayer is that I would take my weary heart and turn it over to God as an act of worship. He is always worthy of worship.

Thank you for joining me on this journey!

With Love & Gratitude,
Kelly

P.S. On a lighter note, I have two dogs, my favorite color is blue, I am obsessed with polka-dots and I am borderline addicted to ice cream.

Application:
Read Job 1
Bonus reading, read my favorite verses, Romans 8:28 and 2 Corinthians 12:9

Kelly Arena

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