As I wrote the outline of this article, all I wanted to do was take a nap.
I’d been outside for most of the day and in a car for the rest of it, so I was exhausted. I had been tired in general lately—and I didn’t like it. Summer break had arrived, and I wanted to be energetic.
Being tired made it harder to obey God. How was I supposed to be a light to others when my light felt like it had been dimmed? It’s so much harder to love people and grow when we’re tired. Fatigue can give us the tendency to become apathetic.
But though it’s hard to live for Jesus when we’re burnt-out, it’s still worth it.
Here are three tips to help you live for Jesus when you’re exhausted.
1. Don’t slack off on the important things.
When we’re burnt-out, it’s easy to disregard “little” sins.
When we snap at our siblings, we can tell them, “I’m sorry, I was really tired.”
When we don’t read our Bible, we use exhaustion as an excuse.
When we don’t obey our parents after they’ve asked us to do something, we have a reason for it.
But none of the most important things in life—loving others and our relationship with God—become less important when we’re tired. They have the same value and we should still give them priority.
It may be harder, but you can keep doing the important things when you’re tired. You may be tempted to scroll through Instagram (which isn’t necessarily bad), but what if you haven’t read your Bible that day? Won’t spending time with God refuel you more than anything else can?
There are also a lot of accommodations we can make to keep from slacking off on the important things.
Instead of reading your Bible, you can listen to an audio Bible while you rest your eyes. You can use prayer to slow down and take a break from life’s busyness.
Tiredness changes feelings, but not facts. What was important when you had energy is still important when you’re tired.
2. Give yourself rest.
When God created the world, He rested on the seventh day of creation. God is an all-powerful being, so He was capable of going on without rest, but I think He wanted to demonstrate what rest looks like.
Later, God established the Sabbath for the Israelites. They had to rest on every seventh day. Then, they could start the week reinvigorated and work hard.
He even established a rest year, the year of Jubilee, for the Israelites. In this year, all debts were canceled, all slaves released, and the land lay fallow of crops. People returned to their families and spent time with them.
God tells Christians to rest in Hebrews 4:10 and says that He will give us rest in Matthew 11:28. In short, God values rest.
When you’re burnt-out, it’s for a reason. God created us to need rest.
Resting is something I struggle with. When I’m tired, I think I can get away with sitting down for ten minutes, then get right back to work. And then I get even more tired. I know that I need rest, but sometimes I prioritize productivity over rest.
But when God rested on the seventh day of creation, He didn’t say, “Aw man, I could have made more creatures but I had to rest instead.” He didn’t sacrifice rest for productivity. Instead, He fully rested—the way we’re supposed to rest, too.
So reply to those emails later. Don’t slack off on the eternally-important things, but you can take a break from little, unnecessary things. Refuel instead. Then, when your energy returns, you’ll be able to work harder and smarter.
3. Lean on God all the more.
Humans were never meant to be able to do it all. We were meant to depend on a God who can do it all.
Tiredness shows us just how dependent we are on God. He built a need for rest into us. That’s why we have to sleep every night to function correctly the next day. That’s why when we work really hard, we need to unwind afterwards. That’s why we can’t work out the same muscle every day—it needs to heal. It needs to rest.
Our God is a God whose power is made perfect in weakness. When we are weak, then we are made strong.
I resign to the fact that I will get tired and that I need rest. Because when I admit my weakness, I better understand how powerful God is. He doesn’t have the weaknesses I have. He doesn’t have any weakness. And He can help me continue to serve Him even when I am tired.
Having a close relationship with God will give you more rest than anything else. It may take effort to get to know God, but it’s so worth it. He gives us more than we could ever repay Him for.
The least we can do is give up our time to build a relationship with Him, and strengthen that relationship. The peace that comes from a relationship with God gives incredible rest.
When you’re tired, remember these three things: don’t slack off on the important things, give yourself rest, and lean all the more on God. I pray that you will serve God well, even when you’re burnt-out!
P.S. Want to read Bible verses about rest? You can find a few here: https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/rest-bible-verses/