Parenting When You’re Bone-Tired
Exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering if you’re failing as a parent? In this episode, discover how God gently carries you as you care for your kids, giving special grace to those who are worn out and “have young.”
Have you ever found yourself hiding in the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub or the floor, just to get thirty seconds to breathe before someone calls your name again?
The house is a mess. Someone always needs something. You’re juggling work, meals, homework, maybe church commitments, and somewhere in there you’re supposed to be patient, joyful, and spiritually “on.” Instead, you feel bone-tired, behind, and quietly ashamed, wondering, “Maybe I’m just not cut out for this.”
In this episode, Bart shares the story of a young mom sitting on the bathroom floor, trying not to sob loud enough for the kids to hear. She loves her children and she loves Jesus, but she feels like she’s failing at both. Instead of shutting down and pushing through alone, she reaches out for help—and that simple step becomes the doorway to hope.
Through her story and the promise of Isaiah 40:11, you’ll see a picture of God that tired parents desperately need. He is not a distant taskmaster telling you to “do better.” He is a Shepherd who “will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.”
The lambs in His arms are your kids. The mother sheep He gently leads is you.
Bart talks about how author Sarah Mae, in her desperation, reached out to older mom Sally Clarkson. Out of their honest conversations came the book Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe, and a clearer view of a God who isn’t waiting for moms to be stronger, He is already holding them in the middle of sleepless nights, sticky floors, and overwhelming days. Her story reminds us that parenting was never meant to be a solo project. The same God who loves your children is gently carrying you, too.
You’ll be encouraged to trade silent shame for honest prayer and real support, to stop believing that “real” Christians handle this without struggling, and to see your exhaustion not as a failure, but as an invitation to lean on your Shepherd.
Main Scripture:
Isaiah 40:11 (NLT) –
“He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.”
By the end of this episode, you’ll be reminded:
- That God sees your exhaustion and has special tenderness for parents “who have young.”
- That He is carrying your children close to His heart and gently leading you at a pace that takes your limits seriously.
- That reaching out for help is not weakness; it’s wisdom.
- That you are not parenting alone, your Shepherd is with you in every bedtime battle, carpool run, and messy kitchen.
Today’s Challenge:
Sometime in the next 24 hours, take just one minute, sixty seconds, to pray Isaiah 40:11 over yourself. You might be standing at the sink, buckling a car seat, or collapsing onto the couch.
Pray something like, “Lord, You said You would carry the lambs in Your arms and gently lead the mother sheep with their young. That’s me. I’m tired and stretched thin. Please carry my kids, and carry me too. Lead me gently today.”
If you can, write Isaiah 40:11 on a note and put it where you’ll see it often, on the fridge, by the changing table, on your nightstand, as a quiet reminder that you are not doing this alone.
Encouraged by today’s devotion?
Share this episode with a tired parent who needs to know they’re seen and supported by God. A simple link from you might be the breath of hope they need today.
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Track 1 00:00:01
A young mom is hiding in the bathroom, sitting on the
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floor between the tub and the toilet, trying not to sob loud
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enough for her kids to hear. The house is a mess, everyone needs
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something, and she feels like she's failing at motherhood and
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at faith. She's bone-tired, ashamed, and wondering, maybe
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I'm just not cut out for this. Why would a mom that overwhelmed
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reach out for help instead of just shutting down and pushing
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through alone?
Track 1 00:00:33
Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and
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today we're talking to the parent who is doing everything
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they can just to make it through the day. The one who loves their
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kids deeply and wants to honor God, but yet still feels
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absolutely exhausted trying to juggle faith and work and family
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and everything else. If that's you, I want you to know that
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you're seen and this episode is especially for you. Listen to
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how Isaiah 40, 11 describes the heart of God. He will feed his
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flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms,
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holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother
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sheep with their young. That's one of the most tender pictures
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of God in all of Scripture. He's not just a powerful king or a
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mighty creator.
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for tired, overloaded parents. Notice the details. He carries
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the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. That's
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your kid. But then it says, he will gently lead the mother
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sheep with their young. That's you. God's not standing at a
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distance saying, try harder, do better. I want you to keep up.
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He's I see how tired you are. I know how much you're carrying
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and I'm going to lead you gently. Parenting, when you're bone
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tired, can feel like you're always behind. The laundry piles
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up. The dishes never end. Work still demands your attention.
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And somewhere in there, you're supposed to read your Bible and
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pray, invest in your marriage, and not lose your temper by
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bedtime. You look around and it seems like other parents are
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doing it better. Their kids look more cooperative and their homes
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more peaceful. And their schedules, they look more
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balanced and they're keeping it all together. Or so it seems.
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And in the middle of that chaos, it's easy to start believing
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lies like, I'm failing. God must be disappointed with me. Real
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Christians handle this better than I do. But that's not what
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Isaiah 40.11 shows us. God doesn't say, I will drive the
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mother sheep. He says, I will gently lead the mother sheep
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with their young. He knows that when you have little ones or
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teens who feel like emotional toddlers some days, your
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capacity is limited and your sleep is interrupted. He knows
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your time's not your own and your energy's divided all over
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the place. And instead of shaming you for that, he adjusts
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his pace to yours. Think about that for a moment. The God of
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the universe is adjusting his pace to walk with a tired mom or
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dad. That's who he is. Maybe you've had moments like that mom
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on the bathroom floor when you shut the door for 30 seconds
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just to breathe and think, I can't do this. I'm not enough.
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Or I'm failing my kids. Maybe you've had nights when you
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collapse into bed and replay all the ways you lost your patience
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and all the things you didn't get to. I want you to hear this.
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God is not waiting for some future, more put-together
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version of you before he starts helping you. He's present with
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you in the Cheerios on the floor, the laundry on the couch, the
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dishes in the sink parenting. He's not only caring for your
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kids. He's caring for you. This is where Sarah May's story comes
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back in. Instead of staying isolated, Sarah May reached out
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to older mom Sally Clarkson and began to tell the truth about
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her desperation. Out of those conversations came the book,
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Desperate Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe. And with it, a
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clearer picture of a shepherd who will carry the lambs in his
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arms and gently lead the mother's sheep with their young.
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Sarah began trading silent shame for honest prayer and practical
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support. And what she discovered was that God wasn't waiting for
Track 1 00:04:31
her to be stronger. He was already holding her in the
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middle of sleepless nights and Cheerios on the floor. Her story
Track 1 00:04:38
reminds worn-out parents that you're not carrying your kids
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alone. The same God who loves them is gently carrying you too.
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For some of you listening, that might be the shift God is
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inviting you into today. From pushing through alone to
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reaching out for help. From silent shame to honest prayer.
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Maybe reaching out for help looks like talking to an older
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parent who's a few stages ahead of you and saying, Can I be
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honest about how hard this is? Maybe it's asking a friend to
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pray for you instead of pretending you're fine. Maybe
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it's sitting in your car for an extra minute before walking into
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the house and whispering, Jesus, be my shepherd tonight. Lead me
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gently because I don't have much left. Here's today's challenge.
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Sometime in the next 24 hours, I want you to take 60 seconds,
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just a minute, to pray Isaiah 40 11 over yourself. You might be
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standing at a sink, rocking a baby, waiting in a pickup line,
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or sitting in a quiet room. Pray something like this, Lord, you
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said you would carry the lambs in your arms and gently lead the
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mother sheep with their young. That's me. I'm tired. I feel
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stretched thin and I don't know if I'm doing it right. But I'm
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asking you to carry my kids and to carry me. Please, lead me
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gently today. If you can, write that verse on a sticky note and
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put it somewhere where you'll see it, on the fridge or the
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bathroom mirror or the dashboard. Let it remind you that you're
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not parenting alone. You have a shepherd. Lord, you see every
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tired parent listening right now. You see the ones hiding in
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bathrooms to cry, the ones who feel guilty going to work, the
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ones who feel guilty staying home, and the ones who are
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pulled in a hundred directions and wondering if they're failing
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their kids. Thank you for being a shepherd who carries the lambs
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close to your heart and gently leads those who have young.
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Today, would you remind weary moms and dads that they're not
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alone? Please, give them strength where they feel empty,
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peace where they feel anxious, and give them hope where they
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feel discouraged. Help them trade silent shame for honest
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prayer and real support. And let them sense, even in the mess and
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the noise, that you're holding them as they hold their children.
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In Jesus' name, amen. If this episode has encouraged you,
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there's a good chance it'll encourage another tired parent,
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too. Would you share it with a friend or loved one? Just copy
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the link in the show notes and send it along their way.
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Thanks for joining me today on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives.
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Remember, you're not carrying your kids alone. That same God
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who loves them is gently carrying you, too. Come back
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next time for more encouragement to help you live grounded in
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God's truth. Until then, God bless and have a great day.
