The "Fatigue of Living"
- Oct 4, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 4, 2025
Recently, while listening to an Abiding Together podcast episode, they talked about the "fatigue of living." This phrase caught my attention because it sums up what I so often see with my clients, and have felt many times myself. As the world becomes increasingly heavy and chaotic, taking care of ourselves emotionally, spiritually, and physically seems more and more challenging. It might seem that we need to put in extra effort, time, and prayer just to stay afloat. When we are carrying heavy burdens, life can feel even more overwhelming and isolating, making it hard to shake the constant sense that "life is just exhausting."
How do we as people of faith reconcile the fatigue of living with Christ's promise:
"I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." -John 10:10
What does this abundant life look like when I'm often just crawling through my days? When the burden of my many challenges seems overwhelming? It may seem like Jesus's promise is empty. But it's not.
Sometimes when life is particularly hard, my heart can be tempted to believe that abundant life is too far out of reach or a promise God only fulfills for some people. It's normal to struggle with the sadness we frequently feel when we're exhausted and searching for more joy, healing, and hope than our current circumstances seem to provide. But we cannot allow our sense of fatigue to lessen our faith. No matter how many times we feel beaten down by life, we can turn to the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and share our hearts with Him. Then we must commit to trusting Jesus and His promises, even amidst our exhaustion, disappointment, and pain. He is our true refuge in this broken world.
The complete experience of that abundant life will be unveiled to us eventually. In this life, we will catch glimpses of it and savor its sweetness in doses, but we will also experience the bitterness of our Lord's passion. We can unite the fatigue we frequently experience to the exhaustion Jesus felt while carrying His cross. We can entrust Him with the burdens and challenges of our day, believing that He is creating something beautiful and holy through them. Let us pray daily for renewed hope, remembering that we never face any trial alone: Our Lord sees us, loves us, and will be faithful in sustaining us.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus,
There are many days when I feel like I'm merely crawling through life. With the challenges I encounter in my own life and those I observe around me in this world, I often feel overwhelmed and exhausted. Would you come and renew me with your Holy Spirit? Would you instill new hope in my heart? Would you whisper words of gentle encouragement to me when the burdens of life feel too heavy? I stand before you weary, seeking your strength, Jesus. I require your grace daily, Lord. Please take every prayer, challenge, and discouraging thought, and use them to change me and bring me closer to your Sacred Heart. I trust that you are with me and will never abandon me. I love you, Lord. Amen.
Here is the episode of the Abiding Together Podcast referenced in this blog:
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