Trust leads to love that will strengthen you from the inside out.

Exhaustion can hit all of our lives in different ways. Sometimes it’s physical and we up our vitamins, exercise, and add energy-boosting foods. Other times the exhaustion is mental, so we prioritize taking sabbaths and maybe even a nice vacation. But, friends, there’s a type of exhaustion that this world has no remedy for and that’s internal or soul exhaustion. This type of tiredness cuts deep into your bones, can be a joy zapper, and induce restless sleep amongst other things. Regardless of our attempts, we wind up feeling like we have nothing left to offer anyone and our spirits become limp and bodies fatigued.

I’d noticed weeks ago that no matter what I tried, my energy stayed low and my emotions were live wires ready to zap anyone who came close. I realized that I was stretching my roots out searching for shallow balms to “fix” me, but hadn’t taken the time to sit with God and allow my roots to dig deeper into his rich, nourishing soil. No wonder I felt breakable and unsteady. I was allowing my roots to drift to the surface where they were never meant to be and the world began to chip away what God had already developed within me. I’d forgotten where my peace and strength resided.

In verses 16 and 17, the Apostle Paul gave us three major keys to experience godly, inner strength.:

1. His Spirit resides in us. Once we receive the gift of Salvation, we have access to his inner strength. This strength never runs out, we just need to make space to tap into it. This comes through prayer and reading the Word.

2. We must trust Him. As we continue to trust God, he clears out more and more rooms in our hearts and fills them with his truth. Eventually, his truth begins to take up more space than our doubts.

3. Trust begets love. The more we trust him, the more we love him, and in turn, that love strengthens the core of who we are. When the wind and the waves come to beat against our branches and threaten to uproot us, we will be anchored by a Love who will pour his strength into our roots and keep us strong.

Life is “trifficult” as my toddlers like to say—thanks to the show Bluey— and they’re right. It’s terrific and difficult most times, but when the difficult times come, and we know they will, there is peace in knowing that God has offered up his strength to carry us through every hard moment and has given us a way to access his strength when we feel internally fragile.

Reflection

What are your go-to remedies when you experience internal exhaustion?
How can you carve out time to access God’s strength?
What changes can you make to create a habit of seeking God’s strength when yours is depleted?

“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”

(Ephesians 3:16-17 NLT)