So… What Do You Do?
Odette
What do you do when you’re tired of praying? What do you do when you’re tired of fasting? What do you do when you’ve prayed the same prayer so many times that you no longer have the words to say?
What do you do when the one person who truly loved you and covered you in prayer leaves this earth, and suddenly you’re left trying to navigate life without them? When you can no longer call and say, “Pray for me.” When their faith once carried you through the moments when yours felt weak. And now you’re left wondering…
Who covers me now?
What do you do when you’ve outgrown certain environments, relationships, or versions of yourself but there’s no immediate escape? When your spirit knows it’s time for something new, yet your reality hasn’t caught up to what God has placed in your heart? Those are the questions I’ve been asking myself lately.
Not because I’ve lost my faith, but because I’ve learned that even faithful people get tired. Even people who trust God experience moments where they’re emotionally drained, spiritually exhausted, and quietly wondering, “Lord… what now?” Maybe you’ve been there too…
The sad reality is, you can’t always pause. You can’t stop time, and sometimes life doesn’t even give you the opportunity to slow down long enough to catch your breath. Unfortunately, the clock is still ticking. The days are still passing. Responsibilities are still calling. And as the saying goes, time waits for no one. But then I think about Jesus.
Before the cross, Jesus knew exactly what was coming. He knew the pain, suffering, betrayal, and weight He was about to endure. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He even prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.” Yet He continued, “Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).
And that makes me wonder why do we sometimes believe our walk with God will exempt us from moments when we desperately want everything to stop?
Sometimes you don't want to give up. You just want a minute.
- A minute where nobody needs anything from you.
- A minute to NOT have to figure things out.
- A minute where you don't have to be strong.
- A minute where you don't have to pray about it, explain it, fix it, fight it, or pretend you're okay with it.
You just want enough time to catch yourself. But life keeps moving. And maybe that's one of the hardest lessons about faith:
“Sometimes God doesn’t stop the clock. He gives you the strength to keep moving while it’s still ticking.”
And even after all of that, the question remains: “So… what do I do?”
The answer I’ve come to may not be the solution, but it is something. Because, I’ve personally gotten tired of hearing, “Just pray about it.” Not because I don’t believe in prayer, I absolutely do, but sometimes you get tired of praying about the same thing while watching absolutely nothing change. I got tired of lashing out. Tired of constantly being triggered. Tired of people avoiding accountability for how their actions affected me, while somehow my reaction became the main event. And yes, I’m responsible for how I respond…but baby, can we please discuss what happened before I responded too?
And if I’m being completely transparent, there was even a point when I got tired of Bible study. Not tired of God. Not tired of believing. I was simply TIRED. Emotionally, mentally, and spiritually tired. I had reached the point where I couldn’t handle one more person telling me what I should do when I was still trying to figure out how to simply get through what I was already carrying.
Okay, so what did I do?
I isolated. I distanced myself from certain things, certain environments, and yes certain people. And respectfully, I didn’t care who you were to me. I needed space. I took a deep breath and finally realized, I needed to care about me first. My peace, my sanity, my heart; me. And for once, to hell with everything else. And of course, when life got a little too loud? I hopped on a flight, not once, but at least twice and got the hell away from everything.
Sometimes you don’t need all the answers. Sometimes you just need distance, silence, and room to breathe.
And side note… I KNOW it had to be God telling me to go. Because one minute, traveling wasn’t even financially possible, and the next? Everything was paid for. Flight, accommodations, AND spending money in hand to shop, eat, explore, and be a whole tourist lost in the city. Tell me God didn’t know His girl needed a break! Sometimes the blessing isn’t God changing the situation immediately. Sometimes the blessing is Him saying, “Come away for a little while. I got you.”
Would you Bloomers believe me if I told you that’s all it took to finally feel a little relief? Simply creating distance, protecting my peace, and most importantly, crossing the waters. Now, don’t get me wrong. It didn’t fix everything I was facing, but it helped me breathe again. And without getting into all the details, I’ll just say this: a few significant blessings followed afterward.
Sometimes crossing over isn’t just about crossing over. Sometimes you need to physically remove yourself from an environment to release what’s been weighing on you. Sometimes you need new surroundings where you can pray, intercede, fast, cry, scream, worship, and talk to God freely without the noise, energy, or spiritual heaviness of everything and everyone around you.
Sometimes, Bloomers, you just need to cross the water and let God meet you on the other side. And you Bloomers already know my motto: I don’t speak on it until I’ve been through it. I’m not going to preach a lesson I haven’t had to live myself. If I’m sharing it with you, just know I’ve cried through it, prayed through it, probably questioned God through it and eventually, grew through it.
So, Bloomers, what am I really saying?
Sometimes you need to step away. Not forever. Not dramatically. But because you cannot hear yourself or God clearly when everything around you is constantly loud. And stepping away doesn’t always mean booking a flight because everybody does not have “catch a flight” money. Your crossing over might look like turning your phone on Do Not Disturb, sitting by the beach, taking yourself to lunch, journaling, going for a drive, or simply becoming unavailable to everyone else for a little while.
“Create room to breathe. And while you’re creating distance from everything else, create space for God too.”
Pray even if the prayer is only, “God, I’m tired.” Give yourself permission to admit when you’re overwhelmed. But also remember: protecting your peace does not remove your responsibility for your own healing. People may owe you accountability, but you still owe yourself growth.
Luke 5:16 tells us, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Even Jesus intentionally stepped away from the crowds and the noise to spend time with the Father.
So maybe sometimes distance isn’t disrespect, stillness isn’t weakness, and stepping away isn’t running away. And Bloomers, remember this:
“Crossing over may not change what you have to go back to, but it can change the person who goes back.”
Some situations may still be the same. Some prayers may still be unanswered. And yes, some people may still be the same people.
But you can come back different. So if you’re tired of praying, fasting, explaining, reacting, carrying everybody, or just plain TIRED find your version of crossing the water. Get quiet. Get some rest. Protect your peace. Give God what you cannot carry. And when you finally have enough strength, get back up and bloom again.
You are allowed to be tired and still have faith. You are allowed to need space and still love people. You are allowed to not have all the answers and still trust God.
And if all you can pray is, “Lord, help me,” trust that He hears that prayer too.
Until next time,
