10 Rejuvenating Prayers for the Burnt-Out Parent

　　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!