Alarm
My weary husband walked into the bedroom and crashed at 7:45 PM. He had prepared his coffee this morning, but rushed off and left the dark elixir on the kitchen counter. Apparently, he guzzled it down when he got home, but the caffeine did little to revive him after a long day. “I’m exhausted,” he complained at dinner.
Tonight was date night. I made a valiant attempt to revive his spirits as we munched on our Tex-Mex meals, but he remained in “zombie mode.” Maybe he is coming down with something, I thought.
Back at home, we discovered the cause for my man’s semi-catatonic state — his blood pressure medication sat untouched. He’d forgotten to take his happy pill. His whole body was sounding the alarm.
I wished him well as he slugged off to bed. “Sweet dreams. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” Tomorrow will be a better day. (I will make sure he takes his medication.)
“Do you ever have days when you are exhausted for no reason?” he’d asked me earlier. No, I thought. We’d discovered the reason. Underneath you will always find a cause.
Sometimes, I find myself fighting exhaustion in my weary soul. My day just beats the snot out of me. Do you ever have days like those?
When I look for a cause, my mind will usually pinpoint my morning routine — I overslept. I rushed. I did not sit quietly with my Savior listening for His leading. I may have guzzled down a few verses, but my spirit did not rest in His presence.
My whole being is sounding an alarm.
God’s Word is my “happy pill.” I must ingest my daily dose in order to maintain a healthy spiritual equilibrium. Paul explains the prescription this way:
“God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling
and warm, personal counsel in Scripture
to come to characterize us,
keeping us alert for whatever He will do next.”
Romans 15:4, MSG
Tomorrow is a new day. I must wake up early and chew on the Word. Lord, help me stay alert.
Q4U: How do you fight spiritual exhaustion?
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Great post and a great question.
Sometimes, I don’t realize it’s spiritual exhaustion, but when I finally get it, I often will go into “battle mood”. I ask my husband to lay hands and to pray over me. I pull out my Bible study journals or my devotions and go over them slowly and deliberately. I work hard to become “intentional” – I purpose myself to notice God in the daily grind of my life. And yes, I get back into the word (because almost always whenever I experience this spirital weariness, I’ve strayed from spending time in the Word).
I always go to Psalms and Proverbs when I am in battle mode… those two books are so rich with comfort and wisdom. How beautiful that your husband prays for you in this way. My husband and I try to pray together every morning before we head out for the day, and I know this makes a big difference.
God’s Word … That’s a pill worth getting addicted to. 🙂
I know I need my daily dose.. I don’t function well without it. 🙂
Very timely for this slug, Lyli. And I know what you mean. When I start the day with God, things seem to fall in place much more smoothly. Hope your hubby is feeling rested and better!
Thanks, Laura. He slept 9 hours. He has his coffee this morning, and his morning seemed to flow a little better. 🙂
Dear Lyli
Oh, dear friend, suffering from Fm/CFS, I know all about exhaustion. I have learned that when I don’t even have the energy to think two straight thoughts in a row, to just draw close to our Pappa and just rest quietly in His presence. I think spiritual exhaustion can often be the result of our spirit trying to do what needs to be done, when all we have to do, is to just drink deep from the Fountain of Life!
Blessings XX
Mia
Your comment made me think of the story of Mary and Martha. Jesus said “only one thing is required.” Sitting at His feet is the best place to be. 🙂
Hi Lyli! I do get exhausted at times. And the first thing to go is prayer, when it should be the last thing. Yikes! I do have that backwards.
Great post!
Peace in Christ,
Ceil
Oh, my sister, I think prayer is so part of the equation. I need to pray more…
Thanks for sharing this! Every day about 4p I start to hit a wall…I’m tired and worn out, and about that time I usually get a headache to top everything off. Your post got me thinking…what if I need an afternoon dose of quiet time with God to push me through the rest of my day?
Instead of rushing around cleaning while my son naps, I think today I will spend it in prayer!
Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
What is is about that time of day? I am sitting at a desk, and the wall is there for me, too.
Praying for you this morning, mom. Raising kiddos is not for the fainthearted — May God give you wisdom, courage, and strength.
“…but my spirit did not rest in His presence.” Oh, that is the cause far too often for me. I have not put “exhaustion” alongside this vital pulse of my heartbeat. I think that I am exhausted physically because I am, but I am also exhausted spiritually because my eyes did not lay hold of His Word or sit quietly with Him or get down on my knees before Him. May we take the time each day to be with Him in ways He wants, not in ways we think are best.
Caring through Christ, ~ linda
Three cheers for date night, husbands that will feel better tomorrow and God’s Word.
Fondly,
Glenda
Cheering with you on this one, Glenda! I am enjoying your cooking series. 🙂
Usually when I’m spiritually exhausted, it’s not because I’m doing anything spiritual! It’s because I’m avoiding the spiritual and thrashing about on my own. To refresh, I force myself to stop.
I love how you said “thrashing around on my own,” Amy! That captures it for me pretty well… I end up trying to force things to go my way, and then I realize that I have totally left God out of the picture… Not good at all.
My whole being is sounding the alarm. But I keep hitting snooze, but rather, I suppose I’m doing the opposite. I’m not hittting it for more rest, but for more time to work. I need to heed the sound.
I am big on the snooze button, too — literally and figuratively. I need to learn to say no to myself more. “No, Lyli, you will not stay up. You will get more rest.” This is a big one for me. I am like the 5 year old who refuses to take a nap.
“Tomorrow is a new day. I must wake up early and chew on the Word.” Yes…I need a new day right now. Tomorrow I shall wake up early and spend time in His word. Those days of exhaustion come easier when I push that morning time to the side. Good words! Hope you and your hubby have another date night soon.
Thanks, Beth. We love date nights. This week was a much better week all around. 🙂
This is so true. I am still nursing on demand and so my sleep is interrupted–that coupled with the unusual circumstances presently in our lives as we seek work/ direction under my parent’s roof, makes getting up early very challenging. I am encouraged to push through against the odds. My soul needs my God. Thank you for this, Lyli!