Feeling Exhausted
Feeling Exhausted
by Jess Connolly
I love a good meme or hilarious quote that makes its way around the internet . Some of my favorites are the following :
The real miracle Jesus performed was having twelve friends in his thirties .
Sitting in your car outside your house is selfcare . I don ’ t know why — it just is .
You don ’ t go to Target because you need something . You go to Target and let Target tell you what you need .
I don ’ t love when a meme starts making its way around the internet and settles in our hearts as truth but is actually a horrible lie that will mess with us for the rest of our lives .
And in that category , I ’ d like to present Exhibit A , my least favorite meme phrase :
Adulthood is a cycle of constantly saying , “ I just have to get through these few weeks ,” repeatedly .
Of course , I hate it because I ’ ve said it way too often myself . But probably right around the first time I saw a little graphic with this quote pop up , I began questioning if there was potentially any other way for me , for us , to live .
Because , friends , I can ’ t do it anymore .
I refuse to keep living a life where the best I can hope for is an endless loop of exhaustion and listless living .
I refuse to live a life where I ’ m numb all day until I eventually crash , constantly hypnotized by hurry , and missing the million tiny miracles of every day .
Unfortunately , the depiction of spiritual exhaustion has become so normal — it ’ s like one big inside joke we all make about ourselves . Spiritual exhaustion becomes our reality when we trade God ’ s care for our obligation , God ’ s grace for earning love , and God ’ s abundance for just getting through the day .
And at the very core of my soul , I cannot believe that Jesus meant for us to live like this . I cannot imagine that our loving Father , who created us with care and creativity , who placed us on earth as an act of glorifying Himself , who sent His Son to redeem our souls , who gave us the Spirit that raised Jesus Himself from the dead . . . I cannot imagine
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He wants us to live at a pace that leaves us so exhausted that our only option is getting through .
Every single expression of exhaustion ( physical , mental , and emotional ) hinges on a spiritual tension that we as women of God have to explore : If God loves us and He gives rest to those He loves , then why are we living so incredibly tired and accepting this as our only possible reality ?
Every single expression of exhaustion hinges on a spiritual tension
Why are we buying the lie that our lives are not meant to be abundant , whole , and free but instead , exhausted , overextended , and desperate for relief ?
At its core , the fact that we ’ re tired of being tired is a spiritual issue , and we need renewal in the form of spiritual revival as much as we need a nap , a day off , or a smaller to-do list .
Jess Connolly , Tired of Being Tired , Baker Books , a division of Baker Publishing Group , © 2024 , Used by permission . ( http :// www . bakerpublishinggroup . com ).
God has made you for a life of abundance , not a life of exhaustion . It ’ s time to quit the unsustainable pace and receive God ’ s gift of realistic rest . Paperback $ 19.99 Study Guide Paperback $ 14.99