When Rest Feels Like Failure
Remembering that worth isn’t earned.
It’s been a while since I’ve written here.
Not because I ran out of words, but my body couldn’t keep up with what my mind was excited to produce.
This one’s for anyone who’s been trying to find their rhythm again.
Am I Still Worthy When I Can’t Produce?
There’s a version of me that gets things done.
Vibrant. Poetic. Intentional. A tad hypercritical.
She has big dreams and even bigger spreadsheets. Breaking up the year in four quarters, running life like a business.
If we’re in July, she’s already re-evaluating Q4 goals and adjusting the plan accordingly to what life may have thrown.
When she’s on, she’s unstoppable.
She writes, she prays, she pours out.
She answers the text, shows up for the event, finishes the project. A great friend.
She leads in ministry, comforts her people, and makes art from the ruins.
She doesn’t move without a vision and when she does, mountains shake.
But lately… she’s been quiet.
Not because she’s lazy.
Not because she doesn’t care.
She’s just tired!
The Ache of Performance
Tired in the way that turns loud laughter into long silences.
Tired in the way that makes even simple things—replying, posting, showing up—feel heavy.
Tired in the way your body starts whispering before your mind will admit something’s wrong.
And in that fog, a question rises:
Am I still worthy when I can’t produce?
When I’m behind on goals.
When I’m too drained to be the eldest daughter hero.
When I’m managing PCOS flare-ups and hormone-driven fatigue.
When my body says slow down but my mind keeps saying you’re falling behind.
Even in spaces meant for healing, performance creeps in.
“You’re not inspiring…
you’re not meeting deadlines…
you’re behind,
now someone else gets what you didn’t bother to fight for”
I thought rest would bring peace, but what it really brought was grief.
Grief for the girl who kept producing in pain because she thought rest had to be earned.
Grief for the silence I called strength, and the burnout I baptized as obedience.
Maybe…
Maybe I am still worthy.
Even when my inbox is ignored.
Even when I cancel plans instead of pushing through.
Maybe God isn’t keeping score.
Maybe He’s like the God who met Elijah under the tree—exhausted and done—and didn’t rebuke him, just fed him and let him rest.
Maybe He’s like the God who called David a man after His heart, even after the failures.
Maybe He’s like the God who still breathes life into dry bones, and into the ones who forgot how to move.
Burnout & Body Check-Ins
Here’s what I’m learning: burnout doesn’t always start in the spirit.
Sometimes it’s physical: your body pleading for hydration, sleep, movement, or nutrients.
Sometimes it’s mental: your mind stuck in overdrive, replaying unfinished checklists or unprocessed memories.
Sometimes it’s spiritual: your soul asking for stillness, prayer, or honest worship.
When we neglect one, we sacrifice all.
Healing demands integration.
So check in with your body.
💬 Ask: What do I need today—food, prayer, rest, or release?
Small reminders for when you feel disconnected:
Stretch before you scroll.
Drink water before you overthink.
Rest before you run.
Say no before resentment makes the decision for you.
You are not falling behind, you’re finally listening.
A Prayer for the One Who’s Tired
Father God,
The God of Enough.
The God of Rest.
The God who sees.
God, see me.
God, meet us in the middle.
Some days we don’t feel like much,
just tired bones and hearts that ache.
Remind us that our worth isn’t tied to our hustle,
that our value doesn’t vanish in the pause,
that even in stillness, You see.
Teach us to breathe without urgency,
to rest without guilt,
to exist without performing.
Meet us in this quiet place.
In the undone, the unposted, the unpolished.
Show us that the quiet place is not a scary place.
Let us find You not in our output,
but in Your outpour.
Thank You for still calling us worthy,
even when all we can offer is ourselves.
We can’t be our best selves by ourselves.
So I pray each person reading this receives a community that loves them well
and shows them how real You are.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Before You Go 🥹
If this found you tired, stretched thin, or feeling behind,
take this as your permission slip to slow down.
You are not lazy for needing rest.
You are human, and deeply loved.
Tell me in the comments or reply privately:
How has your body or spirit been asking for rest lately?
Let’s remind each other:
our worth isn’t earned; it’s inherited.
This was an excellent article! My body and spirit have been yearning for rest in a different way. As you know, I’ve made a significant lifestyle change in terms of my fitness. I’ve been consistently going to the gym seven days a week for the past three months. For me, fitness has not only been beneficial for my physical well-being but also for my mental health. When I feel overwhelmed, the sense of having a routine and sticking to my commitment has been like a form of rehabilitation. Strangely, I find peace and a sense of rest in this routine. Continue on my friend, you work really hard and give your all, you deserve some rest ❤️