Dark place: Tired of being tired - 14 October 2024

I am not going to lie – I am tired, really tired! I am exhausted because the year feels long and there is still so much to do before any kind of break is in sight.

I am tired from long hours of work. I am tired of sitting in traffic for what feels like forever. I am tired of doing laundry, cooking and cleaning. I am tired of making plans, organising things and always thinking ahead. I am tired of paperwork. I am tired of constantly thinking about the “right” thing to do, and the “right” way to respond to e-mails and WhatsApps. I am tired of remembering dates and appointments. I am tired of worrying about money and the future.

Yes, I won’t lie today – I am tired; not ungrateful, just tired.

Are you tired too?

Often, when I get this tired, I start to feel discouraged. And as I sit here, thinking about how incredibly tired I am, feeling a little down, there is one Bible verse that keeps coming to mind: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” reads the King James Version of Matthew 11:28.

It is so comforting. That is when I stand before God and say, “Help. Help me, Lord, because I am tired. Guide me, because I no longer know how to help myself.”

For me, it is a reminder that I need to turn to God when I feel exhausted and overwhelmed, when life begins to wear me down and my mind feels too full of all the things I am worrying and thinking about. Then I surrender, because I am simply too tired to try to control and figure out everything on my own.

Go to God. He will give us rest.

Prayer: Lord, thank you that I can always turn to you when I am tired. Thank you for being there for me when life and all its demands start to drain me. Amen.