WHEN YOU’RE SIMPLY…TIRED

I asked a group of young ballerinas recently,

“What are some of the biggest challenges you face in ballet?”

The very first dancer to raise her hand sweetly shared that her biggest challenge was dealing with being tired.

Ballet is so challenging, requires so much time, energy, and effort, and quite simply, it can exhaust dancers to the point of complete fatigue. It is tiring not only physically, but it’s tiring emotionally and mentally.

You know what? Real life can feel that way too. Do I have any mamas with little ones out there? Mamas with big kiddos? Sometimes our days…get tiring. Sometimes we are going, going, going strong…and then WHAM! We are suddenly hit with an overwhelming sense of fatigue.

I don’t know what your form of tired looks like today, but I want to give you some points of encouragement for your tired heart.

1. Note what things are making you emotionally and mentally tired.

You see, physical fatigue, is something we know what to do with….we know we need REST. We know we need to literally prop our feet up, go to bed earlier, and turn down the notch of our busy pace. But emotional and mental tiredness? Those are a little bit harder to define and to recognize how depleting they are. Here are some things that could be making us emotionally and mentally tired:
Time suckers. Time wasters. Energy Drainers. What things seem to deplete your time, your joy, and your energy? For me, it’s the little things. Spending too much time scrolling through the newsfeed….makes me tired. Keeping up with my to-do list…while it feels good most of the time….after a while…makes me feel tired. Worrying about life….makes me tired. Take note today, exactly what is making you tired. Is it physical? Is it emotional? Is it mental? I encourage you today to grab a pen and paper and write down what things are making you tired, dear one.

2. Seek rest in the One who offers the truest kind of rest.

There is a remedy to our emotional and physical tiredness…

Jesus. He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for you souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Sometimes our fatigue actually leads us to surrender our try-hard life. Sometimes our tiredness is actually a good thing because it gives us an opportunity to say in our hearts, “Lord, I can’t do this on my own. I can’t do this ballet class, this rehearsal, this schedule, this parenting, this pace….on my own. I desperately need your help.” Fatigue reminds us that we need a Savior. And sometimes instead of fighting our fatigue, what we really need, is to let God fully into our day. To say, “Lord, I really need your help.” And you know what He does? He reminds us to let go of the pressures, the stress, the burdens, the busyness…and to let Him lead our day. When He leads our day….our energy is restored, our joy is built up, and our hearts are revived. Let your tiredness be a signal that what your heart really is longing for is simply to rest in your Savior…to spend time with Him…without any expectation of doing more, being better, or anything. Let it simply be a time to be refilled. He loves to refill you.

3. Pace yourself. We tend to get on a roll in life or in the dance studio. We work, work, work until we are totally fatigued. Remember to be gentle on yourself. Remember to give yourself breaks, to listen to your body, and to enjoy periods of rest…even days of rest. Whether it’s in the ballet studio, the kitchen, your home, your work, your school…enjoy some rest from whatever your work is. We were not made to be super humans. We were made to be desperately dependent on Jesus. We we made to lean on Him.

When you’re simply…tired…you can dance through it with the Lord’s help. Let Him adjust your perspective that sometimes a tired heart is a good thing because it leads us to a surrendered heart. What does your tired heart need today, sweet one? Bring your heart to the Lord and allow His Spirit to pinpoint those little things in your heart that may be contributing to you fatigue. Then rest in Him, dear one. Let Him have your tired heart.