God,
I come to you without dressing this up.
I am tired in a way that sleep doesn't always fix.
Not just physically,
But emotionally and mentally too.
Tired of being strong.
Tired of holding things together.
Tired of carrying responsibilities that do not pause just because I need a moment.
I acknowledge that I have been showing up even when it cost me.
I have smiled when I wanted to be quiet.
I have handled things I never asked to manage.
I have been dependable,
Capable,
And steady even on days when my own strength felt thin.
Please meet me here exactly as I am.
Not as the version of me that has it all together.
Not as the version that can power through one more thing.
But as the woman who is tired and still standing.
Help me release the pressure to earn rest.
The belief that I must be productive to be worthy.
The idea that slowing down means I am failing or falling behind.
Remind me that rest is not quitting.
Rest is not weakness.
Rest is not giving up on my life.
It's tending to it.
If I've learned to ignore my own signals,
Gently bring me back into awareness.
If I have overridden my own needs for too long,
Help me listen again.
Teach me how to recognize the difference between responsibility and overextension.
God,
I ask for strength,
But not the kind that drains me further.
I ask for strength that feels like support.
Strength that feels like being carried.
Strength that comes from knowing I do not have to do everything alone.
Where I am depleted,
Refill me slowly.
Where I am overwhelmed,
Quiet the noise.
Where I feel numb or detached,
Help me come back into my body with safety.
If I need to pause,
Let the pause be productive in ways I cannot measure.
If I need to step back,
Let nothing important be lost.
If I need to say no,
Help me trust that the world will not collapse.
Because I rested.
Release me from the habit of self-criticism.
From the voice that says I should be further along by now.
From the belief that other people are handling life better than I am.
Help me see myself with compassion,
With fairness,
With truth.
God,
I ask for emotional rest as much as physical rest.
Rest from worry.
Rest from overthinking.
Rest from carrying outcomes that are not mine to control.
If my mind keeps running,
Help me slow it down.
If my heart feels heavy,
Help me set something down.
If my nervous system feels on edge,
Help me remember that I am safe right now.
Remind me that I'm allowed to receive,
Allowed to be supported.
I'm allowed to be cared for.
Let me experience moments of ease without guilt.
Moments of stillness without anxiety.
Moments where nothing is required of me except to breathe.
If I have forgotten how to rest,
Teach me again.
Teach me how to soften without fear.
Teach me how to trust that things can be okay even when I stop pushing.
God,
Help me stop measuring my value by how much I can endure.
I don't need to suffer to be worthy.
I don't need to exhaust myself to be enough.
I don't need to prove my resilience by breaking myself down.
Help me believe that I can be strong and gentle at the same time.
Capable and rested.
Committed and cared for.
Where I am carrying invisible weight,
Lift some of it.
Where I feel unseen,
Let me feel acknowledged.
Where I feel alone in my responsibilities,
Please remind me that I am not abandoned.
I trust that even when I slow down,
I am still guided.
Even when I rest,
I am still moving forward in ways I cannot see.
Even when I feel tired,
My life is still unfolding with purpose.
Today,
I give myself permission to stop striving.
To stop forcing.
To stop proving.
I choose to honor my limits without shame.
To listen to my body with respect.
To care for myself as carefully as I care for others.
Thank you for meeting me in my tiredness.
For not asking me to be anything other than honest.
For reminding me that I am held even when I feel worn.
I receive rest.
I receive support.
I receive grace.
Amen.
