Who Loves Her Children But Is Tired

When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy.

I CHECKED MY REARVIEW MIRROR for the third time since pulling out of the store parking lot. Kolton and Kadence were strapped into their car seats behind me. They weren’t fighting or being ornery; I was just watching for signs of drowsiness, praying that the gentle hum of the road had not caused my kids to slip into back-seat sleep.

“What do you see outside the window?” I asked Kolton, desperate to keep his eyes open and reserve his full naptime for later. His eyelids were heavy, and to be honest, so were mine. We were about twenty minutes from home, where we could all take a nap.

“Is Sissy still awake?” I asked him. Her car seat was still rear facing, so I couldn’t tell if I had lost the battle to the back-seat snooze and would have to put aside all hope of a nap for myself.

Do you remember days like these? Are you in the middle of them now? I would plan my entire schedule around naptimes. I don’t know about you, but there are moments when I love my children, but I’m tired. I need a break. I need a nap myself. I need the whole world to pause like one of those movies in which the characters freeze in place and everything just stops.

A few of Jesus’s disciples must have felt the need for sleep as well in the moments leading up to His arrest and trial. Jesus took them to a quiet garden that night and asked them to keep watch with Him while He prayed. They loved the Lord, but they were tired too. As Jesus went a little distance from them to pray, these men fell asleep. Three times He returned to ask them to watch and pray, and all three times He found them sleeping. I used to think this said something about their spiritual lives, but now I realize it says they were human like us. They were exhausted, overwhelmed, and just couldn’t keep their eyes open.

Momma, no one would doubt their love for the Lord, just as no one would doubt your love for your children. God knows that you don’t just need sleep; you need the days ahead to be full of peace.

Tonight we pray for the momma who loves her children but is tired. Lord, she loves her life, but she’s tired. She loves her family and all You’ve given her, but she’s tired. Her heart craves a rest and a reset. She needs more than a good night of sleep. She needs the next steps to be lighter. Tonight, Lord, please do what only You can. Bring her peace and rest. Because she loves her family, she loves You, and she’d really love a minute to breathe. Please supernaturally multiply the rest she receives.

We ask in Jesus’s name, amen.

Lord, grant me peace and rest tonight as I lay my family’s needs before You: