When You’re Pouring Out and Feeling Empty

Back-to-school season can quietly drain your spirit. Here’s how God refills what life takes out.

September 04, 2025

Key Verse:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

Devotional:
The start of the school year brings a certain kind of chaos—class schedules, lunchboxes, pickup lines, forgotten permission slips, emotional check-ins, and the constant feeling that you’re managing a thousand details just to keep the household running.

And if you’re like many women, somewhere between the early morning alarms and the evening homework battles, you begin to feel like you disappear. Your needs get postponed, your rest delayed, your quiet time with God pushed aside by a louder to-do list. You’re giving so much—yet often running on empty.

But Jesus never meant for us to live like that. He never asked us to carry the entire load alone. In Matthew 11:28, He offers a powerful invitation: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Not “do more,” not “be stronger”—just come. Lay it down. Rest with Him.

You don’t need to prove anything. You don’t need to earn your worth through productivity or sacrifice. You are deeply loved by a God who sees your unseen labor and gently reminds you: you were never meant to pour from an empty cup.

In the swirl of everyone else’s needs, don’t lose sight of your own need for Jesus. Your soul matters, too.

Reflection & Prayer Prompt:
Where in your life are you pouring out more than you're receiving? Have you unintentionally placed your soul care at the bottom of the list?

📝 Faith in Action:

  • Take 15 minutes today for uninterrupted quiet with God—no guilt, no multitasking.

  • Journal one way you can create a sustainable rhythm of spiritual rest this month.

  • Reach out to another mom or woman this week to encourage her—you’re not the only one feeling this way.

Prayer:
Lord, I’ve been trying to do so much on my own. I confess that I’ve placed everyone else’s needs before Your invitation to rest. Help me return to You—not just for strength, but for renewal. Teach me to abide in Your peace, even in busy seasons. Fill me again, so I can pour out from a place of grace, not exhaustion. Amen.

If you're in a season where you feel stretched too thin or like you've lost yourself in serving everyone else, you're not alone. We created the "Finding Your Strength" devotional journey to help women reconnect with God’s sustaining power in the middle of real life—mess and all. You'll rediscover who you are in Him and how to draw strength that doesn’t run out.