My best friend once fell asleep during her quiet time. She wouldn’t like me telling this story, but she had a wild schedule in college that meant she ran most days on just iced coffee and a few hours of sleep.
At the end of one of her long days, she opened her bible in her lap while sitting on her bed. She later told me she woke up a few hours later with her bible in her hands and the bedroom lights on. She had fallen asleep.
I love that this happened because 1. It’s hilarious and 2. It shows how committed she was to spending some time with the Lord despite how tired she was.
I wish I had that devotion because honestly, I forget. Honestly, sometimes I’m just tired. Some nights I fall asleep with my doubts and worried in my lap – not the word of God. I’m not committed sometimes. I have to be reminded to check my devotion. Is it to my work? To the page? To this world? Or is it to Christ— no matter what?
James 4:10 reads, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” This isn’t just about being obedient and seeking the Lord’s words each day. It’s about surrendering. It’s about going to God even when we don’t have time and even when we’re tired.
Surrendering can mean a lot of things, but ultimately it leads you to needing, wanting, and having to love Christ. I want God’s words to echo in my head even in the midst of long days. I want truth to ring in my ears when I’m tempted at bedtime to go over my checklists.
God already knows you’re tired, and it’s OK to go to him burnt out, and I forget that. I forget that it’s OK to be drained and still seeking Christ.
Matthew 11:28-30 reads, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
You don’t have to go to Christ with your best smile and Sunday clothes. What’s important is you take that step. The church was never meant to be a place for the best. It was meant to be a place for the exhausted and broken.
My best friend did amazing things that college year she fell asleep with her bible open and every year that I’ve known her. Despite a demanding schedule and crushing classes and all the other chaos in her life, she excelled because she never stopped surrendering.
If you’re tired in your pursuit of Christ, take comfort in the fact that he gives strength.
So you keep praying even though you’re busy.
You open your bible even if your eyes are heavy.
You surrender.
by Amanda Casanova
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