Ep 382: “I’m Just So Tired of This:” Helping Your Soul Find What It Needs in Desert Seasons

Are you just so TIRED of the same hard things that keep showing up, even though you’re doing your best to trust God?  

Maybe you’re not depressed; you’re simply weary, exhausted from carrying the same burdens day after day, and wondering how much longer you can keep going. 

In this episode, I’m talking honestly about what it means to walk through a “desert season” of deep soul weariness. We’ll look at the ways we tend to respond when we’re exhausted, flaming out, numbing out, or going deeper with God, and how to recognize what your weariness may be revealing about what you actually need.  

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN 

[00:00] When You’re Tired of Being Strong 

[03:00] Why We Need to Give Weariness a Vocabulary 

[06:00] When Relief Isn’t the Same as Restoration 

[08:00] The Three Ways We Respond to Weariness 

[14:00] Are You Numbing Out Instead of Resting? 

[20:00] What Is Your Weariness Revealing? 

[23:00] What It Means to Go Deep With God in the Desert 

[28:00] Finding Your Daily Manna When You’re Weary 

[00:00] When You’re Tired of Being Strong 

Sometimes weariness goes much deeper than simply needing a good night’s sleep. You can know what you’re supposed to do, genuinely want to follow God, and still wake up feeling like you don’t have the energy to keep doing the same hard things over and over again.  

That was where I found myself recently. I told my husband, “I don’t think that I am depressed, but I feel like I am weary. I’m just exhausted.” 

There can be a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from feeling like you’re always fighting, always carrying something, or always waiting for circumstances to change. You may be praying, surrendering, and doing the things you know to do, yet still wondering, “Is this making a difference?” If you’ve been feeling that way, I want you to know you’re not alone. 

[03:00] Why We Need to Give Weariness a Vocabulary 

Sometimes we can’t even explain what we’re feeling. We just know we’re done.  

“I can’t do this anymore.”  

“Whatever, I don’t care.”  

“Just leave me alone.”  

Those phrases can be signs that something deeper is happening inside of us. We have to become people who notice what is happening in our souls instead of immediately judging or shaming ourselves for it. 

When we’re weary, our bodies, minds, and souls are looking for relief. There are unmet needs, unresolved situations, and things we desperately wish we could fix. Giving our weariness a name helps us recognize that we may be approaching our limits, and that recognition can become an invitation to slow down, pay attention, and ask God what we need in this season. 

[06:00] When Relief Isn’t the Same as Restoration 

We all need relief. When you’ve been carrying stress, grief, disappointment, or uncertainty for a long time, your body needs some kind of release. 

The problem is when quick relief becomes the only way we know how to cope. We may reach for food, screens, entertainment, busyness, or other distractions because they give us that immediate feeling of “Ah, this is better.” 

But quick relief doesn’t necessarily address what’s underneath the weariness. It’s like taking the lid off a boiling pot without actually turning down the heat. Eventually, the pressure builds again.  

God may not always answer our prayers for relief by simply making the difficult situation stop. Sometimes His provision looks more like giving us the strength, wisdom, support, and daily manna we need to walk through it. 

[08:00] The Three Ways We Respond to Weariness 

Drawing from Tish Harrison Warren’s book What Grows in Weary Lands, I explore three common ways we respond when we’re exhausted: we flame out, we numb out, or we go deep. 

Flaming out is the feeling of “I’m done. I want out.” It can be a warning that our limits have been pushed too far and that something needs to change. 

Numbing out is more subtle. We keep fulfilling our responsibilities, but we disconnect from what we’re feeling through scrolling, food, work, busyness, entertainment, or other quick forms of relief.  

Going deep is different. It means being willing to sit with God in the uncertainty and ask, “What might You want to show me here?”  

None of these responses should be approached with shame. Instead, our weariness can become information that helps us understand what is happening inside. 

[14:00] Are You Numbing Out Instead of Resting? 

Our culture makes it incredibly easy to avoid silence. The moment we have a spare minute, we reach for our phones. We scroll while waiting in line, entertain ourselves whenever there is an empty moment, and fill our schedules so completely that there is very little room to simply be still. Sometimes we aren’t intentionally running from God, we’ve simply developed habits that make it difficult to hear Him. 

There is a difference between healthy comfort and numbing. Rest, delight, hobbies, and simple pleasures can be good gifts from God. Sabbath is not about staring at your phone for hours; it is about creating space for your mind, body, and soul to rest. The question isn’t whether you ever seek relief. It’s whether your relief is helping you become more present to God and yourself, or helping you avoid what is happening underneath. 

[20:00] What Is Your Weariness Revealing? 

Instead of only asking, “How do I make this stop?” we can begin asking, “What is this weariness revealing about me?”  

Psalm 139:23–24 gives us a beautiful framework for this: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” 

For me, that has meant noticing some of my own patterns of reaching for food when I’m weary. Rather than shaming myself or simply saying, “Don’t do that again,” I can bring it before God and ask what is really happening.  

Sometimes the answer isn’t about the food at all. It’s about wanting comfort, pleasure, or relief from something that feels difficult. God can meet us with compassion as we become willing to notice what’s underneath our patterns. 

[23:00] What It Means to Go Deep With God in the Desert 

Going deep doesn’t mean that we enjoy the desert or pretend that it’s easy. It means being willing to sit with God in the uncertainty and say, “I don’t have answers, but I’m willing to sit here with You.”  

There is a kind of spiritual resilience that develops when we stop demanding that the desert end immediately and become willing to discover what God might be doing in the middle of it. 

The desert can be hot, painful, and miserable. Jesus Himself experienced the desert. But God doesn’t ask us to walk through it alone. He is our refuge, our covering, and our source of strength. 

Isaiah 43:2 reminds us, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” The hope isn’t simply that the desert will eventually end. Hope is choosing to believe in God’s goodness even when you can’t see the end. 

[28:00] Finding Your Daily Manna When You’re Weary 

One of the most powerful pictures in this episode is the manna God provided to the Israelites. It came one day at a time. They weren’t given a year’s supply all at once. Sometimes that’s what we need to remember in our own desert seasons: the grace and strength God gives us today are enough for today. 

Your weariness is information. It may be telling you that you’re close to flaming out, that you’re relying on numbing, or that God is inviting you to go deeper with Him.  

You don’t need a magic answer or a quick fix. You can ask, “What is my body asking for? What am I feeling? What do I need to process? What is God revealing?” Then you can take the next faithful step, trusting Him to give you the manna you need for today. 

RELATED EPISODES: 

Ep 379: “How Do I Walk Through This Well?” Finding Emotional Clarity When Life Gets Complicated 

Ep 378: What Do You Actually Need When You’re Carrying a Lot Emotionally? 

Ep. 374: 5 Types of Emotional Overwhelm—Which Are You Experiencing?