Yesterday, my husband and I snuggled under a pile of blankets (in 39-degree weather, mind you) for practically three hours to watch our middle daughter play softball. Well, maybe I should say that we sat in freezing cold weather to watch her team play as she sat on the bench. Again. The look on her face broke my heart, but what really pierced me through and through was the way my husband looked at our daughter.
He admittedly blames himself. This hasn’t been easy for him as he has coached and spent countless hours working with our two oldest daughters, only to watch both sit on the bench for an entire season. The words that really stung were when he whispered under his breath, “I guess hard work doesn’t always pay off.”
Maybe you have felt this way, too. Maybe you feel this way now as you strive to give all you can, pouring your heart and soul into your family, only to feel that it isn’t making a bit of a difference. Life is still messy and hard. Kids still make bad choices. Tension still ensues. Diagnosis stops life in its tracks. Anxiety cripples many kids. You still carry hard and unfair circumstances with a heavy heart.
It can feel utterly defeating.
I get it! We are there too. It’s called “parent burnout,” a force to be reckoned with.
Parent burnout can creep in at any time, whether holding a newborn or waving goodbye to your college kid. It is a recurring theme on the emotional journey of raising other humans.
John 16:33 tells us that we will experience hardships and troubles in this life, but we should be brave! This is our hope. Our God isn’t asking us to bear these parenting burdens alone and give (and give) until we eventually wear out. He is calling us to bravely cast our burdens onto Him so that we can persevere.
If you need hope, below are several “take a deep breath” prayers and verses you can lift up at a moment’s notice to breathe in and inhale peace, calm, and comfort. All the while letting go and exhaling all the striving and trying. You’ve got this because God’s got you!
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A Prayer to Ask God for Help
God, it’s me. I’m worn and weary. I need Your help. I am unsure what is causing this strain on my family, but I humbly ask for Your mighty hand over us all. Reveal places in our lives that we need to fully surrender to You so that we can reclaim peace and stability in our home. Help us be a family that strives only to honor You. Amen.
"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." - Isaiah 40:29
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A Prayer to Fight Destructive Thoughts
Lord, if I am being fully honest, I have entertained a lot of lies lately. Please forgive me. I want to place my trust in You alone. Please guard my heart and the precious hearts and minds of my children from the evil schemes of the liar. Etch the Word of Truth in our hearts to rely on and lean on when the world is loud and clamoring for our attention. We want to seek comfort and peace in You alone. Amen.
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." - 1 Peter 5:8
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A Prayer to Shift Your Perspective
You, O God, are so good and faithful to me. I am amazed and in awe at the wild and incredible love You have for me and each of my family members. You even say in Your Word that You delight in each of us! I want to delight in You as well and all the blessings You have so graciously given. Please shift my perspective and help me to love and delight in my children as You do. Amen.
"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love, he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.” - Zephaniah 3:17
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A Prayer for the Strength to Persevere
Faithful Father, I am ever so thankful for Your free-flowing mercies each and every day. Today, I seek Your face as I strive to keep putting one foot in front of the other. These days have proven to be quite challenging, and I often find it hard to keep going. Please grant me the ability to stop striving and giving to the point of exhaustion and lean on You for strength and perseverance. Amen.
"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." - Hebrews 10:36
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A Prayer to Confess Our Weakness
Lord, I can’t do this without You. I fail time and time again. The parental pressures are often so immense, and the demands are endless, that I crumble. Help me lead, provide, and protect my family. Give me the means to get back up and share Your love with my children, even exposing my weaknesses. Allow that to be a place for them to see that I can’t do any of this without You! Amen.
"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." - 2 Corinthians 12:9
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A Prayer for Stillness and Rest
Jesus, I need rest. My body, heart, mind, and soul are depleted. This season is truly difficult, and my heart is so heavy. The real and raw emotions that flood from parenting are consuming and trying to take me under. So, I ask that You draw near. Grant me peace and a place within my day to find the rest my body desperately craves. Let that rejuvenate me so that I can be the parent You are calling me to be. Amen.
"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him." - Psalm 37:7
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A Prayer for Wisdom
This is hard, God. I am lost right now. There are no answers, and my mind can’t wrap around how to even comprehend this season of parenting. Hurt and pain have taken place, and choices were made that break my heart. Oh, how I need Your Fatherly wisdom, discernment, and guidance. Please highlight areas where our family can shift our priorities and make changes that will please You. We ask for Your favor in this. We love you and are so thankful for Your forgiveness and grace. Amen.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." - James 1:5
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A Prayer to Love without Ceasing
Father, I really don’t like to admit this, but You already know this to be true – I am having a hard time sharing and giving love. My heart is wounded, so I lash out in a way my family doesn’t deserve. I need You to step in and remind me that I am called to love regardless of circumstances or choices. I am to love because You first loved us and showed us how to do so unconditionally. So, Lord, please help me love my people better. Let love reside within the walls of our home and make it apparent to all who enter. Amen.
"We love because he first loved us." - 1 John 4:19
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A Prayer to Practice Patience
Yes, it’s me again. O God, I am coming to You again with pretty much the same drill. I need patience. The kind of patience that You so graciously have with me. Sadly, pride has crept in again and has a nasty way of stealing the peace in my relationships with my children. We are all running on fumes and short fuses. All this has everyone on edge and going on little patience. So, I humbly ask for Your help. Help us all practice patience with one another and soften our hearts to show honor, respect, and love. Amen.
"The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride." - Ecclesiastes 7:8
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A Prayer to Suit up and Battle on
Gracious God, this battle is not mine alone. I am so encouraged that You have already proclaimed victory over this life; we await the day of Your noble return. Until then, as various storms of all sorts rage on, give me the confidence to be bold and brave by arming up to fight the lies, frustrations, and fears that so eagerly try to take me down. Give my spouse, children, and I the courage to speak truth, stand firm in our convictions, seek righteousness, and stand on the solid rock of our faith. Help us defeat all odds, even in the challenging seasons. We love you. Amen.
"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." - Ephesians 6:11
Oh, dear friend, may the Lord come alongside you in this trying season and whisper His truth of mercy, grace, and love. I know this season is hard, but you aren’t alone. You don’t face it alone. You have a God refining you every step of the way, preparing you for the next season. So, be brave and battle on, and pray up!
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Originally published Friday, 23 February 2024.