Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah 40:31 – “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

A common thing I hear from women these days is, “I feel tired.” Understandably so! Our lives are so busy! I never used to answer this way. I have, for the majority of my life, been blessed with a high level of energy. Before this year, I had never really felt tired for a long period of time. Always short-lived bursts that went away after I healed from a cold or had a few nights of sleep. I was always a morning person who could bounce out of bed and be ready to start my day.

This past spring, however, I felt exhausted physically ALL the time. No matter how much I slept, I woke up feeling more tired than when I had fallen asleep. It physically hurt to get out of bed in the morning, and I often walked around in a cloud of mental fatigue. My short-term memory was so bad that I couldn’t remember why I had walked into a room or conversations I’d had the previous day with my husband Luke. I felt weak and incapable of handling my day, and just plain out of energy. Then, just before our family left this past summer for Colorado LT, I was diagnosed with Postpartum Adrenal Fatigue.

I felt like a shadow of myself. I also felt discouraged, because I barely had the strength to care for our four chronically ill children. With each passing month of the summer, I felt more and more exhausted. Some days, I just laid down on the couch, barely able to move. I just felt low on everything: physical strength, mental acuity, emotional capacity, and spiritual health.

I became scared that I’d never get better. What was to become of me? What was to become of my kiddos? Would I be able to homeschool them in the fall? Would I even be able to care for them at all? Luke and I prayed for healing.

Thankfully, when I got back in the fall, my doctor was able to help me correct my nutrient deficiencies and hormonal imbalance. I am slowly starting to feel better, though not like my old self. I wouldn’t say I have much energy, but I am able to think. I still wake up exhausted, but the exhaustion fades throughout the day. Praise God! According to research, it will take 2-5 years to fully recover from Adrenal Fatigue. I am in this for the long-haul.

Through everything, the Lord has been with me, even though I was often too exhausted to see Him. He has given me strength when I require it, and He has sustained my kids’ health. My iron levels were tested when I got back to Ames in August, and they were at a 9. If you hit a 7, they hospitalize you. And yet, this summer I was not only able to climb mountains each week with my family, but I often did so with my 4 year old on my back. I shouldn’t have been able to walk with my lack of iron levels (iron carries oxygen to your cells), let alone climb anything. It is a miracle that I climbed so many mountains without fainting.

As I’ve been slowly coming out of my haze of extreme fatigue these past few months, I have seen the Lord’s mighty hand on my life. I am so thankful for all the years of energy He gave me. Although those days are gone, He sustains me. He blesses me every day.

I have been trying to live Isaiah 40:31 lately, focusing on waiting on the Lord for strength. I love thinking about how God gives us what we need, even strength. Honestly, if I walk and am not growing faint, I know the Lord is helping me! I have several other verses I am clinging to as my body heals. I have them in a “truth pack” and I am reading them when life seems too exhausting to endure. If you feel tired, too, I encourage you to make your own truth pack!

Matthew 11:28-29 – “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.”

Psalm 62:1 – “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.”

Psalm 46:1 – “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.”

Romans 8:26-28 (AMP) – “In the same way the Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words. And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes [before God] on behalf of God’s people in accordance with God’s will. And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.]”

Psalm 73:26 – “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength
of my heart; he is mine forever.”

Philippians 4:13 (AMP) – “I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]”