Brother- and Sisterhood of Weary Souls

“Hey, fiend.”
“Oops. I forgot the R.”
“Hey . I figured that much. I just laughed.”
“I needed that laugh, too.”
“How are you?”
“I’m exhausted.”

Such is the conversation that I have had with so many of my friends lately (minus the fiend part that I find really funny! ):

• New moms trying to adjust to motherhood while seeking to successfully juggle all of their other hats.
• Persons with established careers seeking new employment after losing their jobs.
• College students burning both ends of the wick in order to complete assignments, attend jobs, be good family members, and participate in extra-curricular activities.
• Ministers dealing with brokenness, disease, death, and depression while trying to stay in tune to God’s call for God’s people and be God’s prophetic voice.
• Families trying to get settled after major moves across the country.
• Young adults living in fear of being rejected were they to come out.
• Persons trying to keep up the façade of being okay when really they’ve been deeply hurt and betrayed and/or are carrying large amounts of grief.
• Husbands and wives struggling to hold their marriages together.
• Employees trying to live up to the constant demands of their employers.
• Bosses trying to keep their companies afloat.
• Senior adults adjusting to retirement.
• Young couples trying to hold to hope after years of infertility.
• Adult children taking care of aging parents while seeking to successfully juggle all of their other hats.

So many people are exhausted.

There are so many layers of exhaustion.

And I just don’t think that life is supposed to be this way.

Oh God of Rest and Giver of Peace, grant us rest and peace in the midst of this chaotic world. When the world says no, give us the courage to say yes to moments of self-care and silence that are crucial to our souls. You say to come to you when we are weak and heavy laden, so I come to you now, oh God, on behalf of the brother- and sisterhood of weary souls…of which I am part. Amen.