Can I be real with you for a moment? I’m going to pour my heart out….
I am tired.
And not in a “stayed up too late last night” kind of way. More of a getting up every couple hours every night for over a week tired. A rocking my sniffling, congested babe for hours to help her sleep weariness. The kind of exhaustion that causes a mama to fall asleep in the chair while nursing her little one.
T I R E D.
I awaken, bleary-eyed and groggy, dreading the start of another day. One that involves chasing after an active toddler, fixing meals, cleaning, laundry, running errands. And on and on….
Perhaps you are enduring sleepless nights as well. If so, be encouraged that you are not alone.
One thing that has helped me persevere through this difficult season of sleeplessness is prayer. I am so thankful that we can come to the Lord at any time of the day or night and have confidence that He is listening to every cry of the heart.
“Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord” –Lamentations 2:19a
Not only does God hear our prayers, but He gives us the strength we need to continue walking in His will. Our Savior helps us carry our burdens and rise above our adversity.
The following passage has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember, but it is especially meaningful to me right now.
“Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is an eternal God, the creator of the whole earth.
He does not get tired or weary; there is no limit to his wisdom.
He gives strength to those who are tired;
to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy.
Even youths get tired and weary;
even strong young men clumsily stumble.
But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength;
they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings,
they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired.”
–Isaiah 40:28-31–
What a blessing it is to know that the Lord will daily renew our strength and energy if we will lean on Him. So, if you are weary today, I pray that you will find rest and strength in the loving arms of Christ.
How do you cope when you don’t get enough sleep?
This post is shared with some of these lovely link-ups. Photo credit: Free Digital Photos
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Me too.
The verse is a lovely reminder and very timely this morning…
Herb of Grace recently posted..Mermaid
What a great reminder… Our baby is 12 weeks old!! I nap every chance I get… and let a lot of housekeeping chores go. I found a wall hanging that says, “A house becomes a home when you can write “I love you” in the dust.” How true!! Loving my family is more important than cleaning my bookshelves
I’ve come to terms with thanking God for this blessed season of my life where I can get away with this mess!!
Kristen @ Trial & Error Homemaking
Love that quote, Kristen! Thanks so much for sharing.
Oh sister, I am that kind of tired!! But I discovered that some of my sweetest times with God are during those early {way way early} morning feedings. I know I am going to crawl back in bed for an hour before the rest of the tribe awakens and I know that it is going to be my quietest time of day, when I can hear Him the best. The longer my baby is sleeping, the more I am realizing I will miss those quiet times with God. Thank you for this post, I love Isaiah 40 as well, it speaks to my soul!
Amber recently posted..The Fight {choosing love}
I agree that I will miss that aspects of having that awake time when everyone else is asleep… Thanks for your comment, Amber!
“Coping” with no sleep. Hmm? I am not sure if being on edge and yelling would really be called “coping” :0). It is not that I respond that was ALL the time. But I did do that often when my kids were still young enough to need so much of my tired attention. When I ask them now at 20,18,15,14 if they recall me yelling a lot when they were younger, they said not really…just the times I was completely irrational…like letting them go out in the snow and telling them they cannot throw snowballs at each other 0_0. i was NOT physically tired then though; I was emotionally spent from the complaining of “HE threw snow in my face on purpose”!
Those nights of waking 2,3,4 times in the night were rough only the first 7 years :0). All kidding aside, it is great you use that time for prayer! i often did the same. I often tried to nap when they napped—or had mandatory “quiet/room” time after lunch :0).
It is true these days will pass so quickly, you just never think that…until they are over :0). Hope you have a great night for a few nights this week :0)! Hope the little one feels better!
Donna recently posted..Take/Put It Off Tuesday!
Ha! It’s funny how irrational we can sound when we are weary… Thank you for your well wishes, Donna!
Jenni,
I had a baby with chronic ear infections, and we spent many a night in the rocking chair — me not sleeping so she could. . . during those times I came upon Isa 40:11 — “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” This sweet, sweet picture of Jesus gently leading me, one of “those that were with young,” was priceless. HE KNOWS and HE CARES. visiting from Be Not Weary (Galatians 6:9), which is my encouragement to you today
Lori Slice Hatcher recently posted..Terrorists Hijacked My Sister’s Birthday
A wonderful verse as well, Lori. Thank you for sharing you story and for your encouraging comment!
Asking God to bless you with peaceful sleep.
Denise recently posted..On Your Heart Tuesday
Thank you, Denise!
this couldn’t be more relevant for me, jenni. b/c i’m recovering from a health crisis that began 2 yrs ago, & started with my being awake for about 72 hrs straight. not b/c of some grand adventure, not b/c of some selfless act of love as a mom or friend. simply b/c my adrenals were thrown into overtime & would not let my body rest. and then it left my body in a state where i literally could not walk and not faint. (actually, it was worse than that — couldn’t even sit w/o fainting.) so you can only imagine the depth of meaning that passage in isaiah has taken on for me.
and while my sleep has remained a big, big issue since then, the Lord has been so very gracious to me. b/c He has indeed renewed SO much strength. i CAN now walk & not faint. (i can even drive again!) and He has offered my body much healing, for which i am so, so grateful.
even better than that, He has offered me Himself every step of the way. the gift of His presence, the gift of His grace, & the gift of coming to a deeper understanding that this life is all about depending on Him & not ourselves. these lackings, these struggles, these sleepless nights — they are all intimate invitations to cling to the Cross. and i’m finally starting to accept the invites.
tanya @ truthinweakness recently posted..six words
Tanya, thank you so much for sharing your story! It’s wonderful to read an example of God’s grace and provision.
My post today is also about being tired and overwhelmed. I think it comes with the mommy territory but that doesn’t make it any easier to bear, does it? Hope you get a break soon.
Diana recently posted..PYHO – Sometimes It’s Overwhelming
Knowing that it is a season helps me most days. Thanks for your comment, Diana!
I don’t cope well without sleep and the season of early childhood was a tough one for me. I try to take cat naps during the day to get through and the main thing, not be too hard on myself about getting things done. It just makes me more grumpy. Hope you get a window of rest.
Shelly Miller recently posted..You Make A Difference
I did finally get a nap today! Sometimes napping makes me feel worse, but it was quite refreshing this time. Thanks for the comment, Shelly!
I remember this sooooo well. When I have days or weeks like that, I try to simplify life. We do the bare minimum and I lower my expectations of everyone, including myself. I also let myself take naps when I can. I hope you get some sleep soon!
Joy @ Joy in this Journey recently posted..I’m Not Pinterest-Perfect ~ Life:Unmasked
Lower expectations are definitely a must during this season! Thank you for your kind comment, Joy.
I hate when I get to that point of being THAT tired.
I try to make myself get some rest, no matter what my to-do list is telling me.
Shell recently posted..Pour Your Heart Out: Be Wrong
I finally took a nap today! Often sleeping during the day makes me feel worse, but it helps when I get extremely tired. Thanks for your comment, Shell.
Hey there – coming to you via Joy in this journey.
It’s really interseting – I have M.E. (sometimes known under the umbrella term of chronic fatigue syndrome). So i can definitely relate to feeling tired, but at the same time not relate as well. My illness is such that i have a very short battery life, and often my muscles stop working. I get tired as one of the symptoms I feel, but because I know that it is an illness that i need to be careful with, i have to rest – i have no choice. Which means that other people have to take over the looking after of my baby.
There are lots of things I hate about this situation, but the one thing it is really good for is getting help when I need it. I have to get help, and people recognise that I need help with looking after my boy. But then I see my other mummy friends and I ache for them because I see the effects of night after night of sleep deprivation which, let’s face it, is a form of torture. It’s SO hard.
Frankly, i’m just in awe that you can even get the brain energy together to think about praying or remembering Bible verses!
I love that Is 40 passage, and also ps 121 – the Lord does not slumber or sleep and watches over us and our children when we are too tired to do so ourselves.
Much love to you.
Tanya Marlow recently posted..Tuesdays are for honesty
Tanya, thank you for being so open and honest by sharing your story! I honestly have a difficult time asking for help, which is something that I am striving to learn. God is faithful even when I forget or refuse to call on Him or ask of others. Love the verse you shared as well. Thank you for your encouraging comment!
Honestly… that scripture is a little bit difficult for me to be encouraged by when I’m feeling truly weary. I’m not a mother so that kind of weariness is something I’ve not yet experienced, but travel weariness, over-worked weariness… I want to feel bright and cheery and energetic! Not so dependent on God to hold me up. I suppose that’s just pride on my part, and so I appreciate your ability to trust and will seek to learn from that!
Kati Woronka recently posted..who does the cooking?
Thank you for your honesty, Kati! I can identify with how you feel. So often we want to be able to do everything on our own. We don’t want to appear to be weak. However, any strength or control we think we have in any situation is only through God. I have to remind myself of this truth often.
How do I cope with exhaustion? I don’t…and that’s a huge problem for me. I get grumpy and cranky and then the people around me suffer. And it’s my own fault because I DO TOO MUCH! Guess I just came up with own solution…ha!
Blessings Jenni
Mindy @ New Equus – A New Creation recently posted..Being uniquely transparent! {LIFE in the Comments #2}
Girl, I hear ya! I often have to remind myself to set lower expectations of myself during this season of life.
What a fitting verse. I don’t even know at this point. If it’s been a really tough day, I try to find an activity for the toddler, like a puzzle, and just sit with the little one and let him pull my hair, otherwise, just try to get through the days and manage at best as possible.
Having “lazy days” can be a great way bond with our children and get a little rest in the process. Thanks for sharing, Emily!
I’m like Mindy. When I don’t get enough sleep, I don’t cope well. It’s something I am well aware of and take great efforts to prevent. But, with a child, sometimes you just can’t help it. When we have a season like that, I give myself lots of grace with the other chores and catch naps and rest when I can. And I make myself go to bed early. Praying y’all get to feeling better soon! Thanks for linking up!
Mary Beth recently posted..t{squared} How Can I Know God?
Going the bed early and taking naps… I’m so bad about those. But I’m getting better and making myself rest when I need to. I really hate the fact that my body needs sleep to function! lol
I haven’t been that kind of tired in a long time, but I have been that tired. I would just try to get through the day and go to bed early! Now I drink lots of coffee…but when I was nursing, I stayed away from caffeine. That was tough!
Ginny Marie recently posted..Just 5 or 10 minutes…
Oh, yes. Coffee is out of the question… unless I’m really desperate and succumb to a decaf latte. However, I try to stay away due to nursing and the fact that caffeine gives me heart palpitations. Thanks for your comment, Ginny!
oh jenni, this life of being a mother is so hard… i love that you don’t complain about the sleeplessness, or the fatigue, but you seek God through it. i used to battle insomnia, and so i draw great strength from this post. bless you.
imperfect prose recently posted..imperfect prose on thursdays: when you fight to illuminate hope
Emily, I struggled with insomnia before I became a mom… I guess it’s a good thing that I don’t care to sleep more than I truly need! Glad this post was a blessing to you. Thank you for your encouraging words!
Thank you for the encouragement. I have had a lot of trouble with being patient due to JUST BEING EXHAUSTED. Thankfully it is winding down but my kids decided a few weeks ago they longer believed in sleeping and both of them were up. My husband and I are just plain exhausted.
I agree that it can be very difficult to be patient when weary. So glad God is there to help during those times!
This post really speaks to me today. I have never had a great sleeper and I am not a good sleeper so combined I am so sleep deprived. I am also a working mom which makes it even harder since it is hard to safely commute when you can’t keep your eyes open. I needed to find this post today and God led me to it. I look forward to reading more.
Melissa Ryan recently posted..Post it Note Holder Craft
So glad this was an encouragement to you, Melissa. Praying you are blessed with a good night’s sleep soon!
I was tired this last week too, but I did it to myself. I just start to get energy at the end of the day and I want to get a bunch of stuff done, but then I pay in the morning. This is definitely an encouragement to anyone who has sleepless nights. Thanks for sharing at Mom’s Library!
tulip recently posted..Mom’s Library #12: The Party is Growing!
I am a night owl, so I can completely relate. I have make myself go to bed early. Thanks for your comment!