God Never Asked You to Live Exhausted. By Ashley Earwood

Run your race at a sustainable pace.

Ask a woman how she’s doing and I would almost guarantee you one of two answers: “Busy” or “Tired.” I’ve never asked a friend how she’s doing and heard the answer, “Well rested, thanks for asking.”

For years, my life looked “right’ on paper - Ministry, leadership, marriage, motherhood. I loved what I was doing (and still do), but somewhere along the way, I confused faithfulness with fatigue. I was shaped by a culture that said, “If you’re going to be tired, you might as well be tired for Jesus.” The belief was that if the calling was holy, the pace didn’t matter. If the work was for God, the rest could wait. But it couldn’t.

I remember seasons where I was leading strong on the outside, but running on fumes on the inside. Comments like “I don’t know how you do it all!” were meant to be compliments, but in reality, they should’ve been an open door to cry for help. I kept telling myself, “This is just for a season. Things will calm down when….” Eventually, the running commentary that rest was coming ran out.

What finally stopped me wasn’t the burnout - although that was real. It was something a little more subtle: numbness. I was doing all the right things and feeling very little. My joy was thin. My margin was gone. My relationship with God had become efficient instead of the former intimacy that I once cherished. And then I started noticing that I wasn’t alone.

Everywhere I turned – church lobbies, school pickup lines, text threads with friends – women were quietly wondering why they were so tired all the time. These were women who loved Jesus. Women who cared deeply and were deeply capable. Women who were leading, serving, building, and giving. They weren’t lazy tired or unmotivated tired. They were soul tired.

Maybe you can relate.

If this is you, I want you to hear this clearly: something is not wrong with you. You are not failing spiritually. You are not weak for needing rest. You are human - and God designed you with limits on purpose.

The old narrative of “being tired for Jesus” didn’t come from Jesus. I don’t believe He would’ve designed our earthly bodies to need eight hours of sleep for optimal health if His expectation was that we’d “sleep when we’re dead.”

In fact, Jesus said: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest…For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

He didn’t say the work would disappear. He said the weight would feel different. His promise wasn’t an empty calendar - it was an easy partnership. Which tells me something important: you can love God, serve faithfully, and still be deeply tired on the inside if you’re holding onto things He never asked you to carry alone.

Galatians 6:9 adds another layer: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” This verse assumes something important - weariness is possible, even when you’re doing good things. Scripture doesn’t shame us for feeling tired, but it also doesn’t call us to quit. Instead, it invites us to learn how to do good without destroying ourselves in the process. Endurance - not exhaustion - is the goal. And endurance requires rhythms that restore us along the way.

So where do we begin?

If you’re not sure what to do next, here are a few places to start:

• Name your tired honestly. Ask yourself: Am I physically tired, emotionally tired, or soul tired? Different tired needs different care.

  
  

• Create one moment of quiet. Five minutes. No phone. No noise. No talking. Just space to breathe and ask God to meet you there.

  
  

• Release one unrealistic expectation. Ask God what you’re carrying that He never asked you to.

I’ve learned - sometimes the hard way - that running faster doesn’t always mean running better. Ignoring your limits doesn’t make you more spiritual; it just makes you more tired. While God Himself modeled rest, Jesus modeled margin. He invites us into a life that produces fruit that lasts, not fruit that withers on the vine.

Out of conversations like these - and this shared tension - the Team Not Tired Podcast was born. Not as a formula. Not as a self-help fix. But as a place to keep the conversation going. It’s a space for honest dialogue about faith, boundaries, rest, burnout, motherhood, leadership, and the everyday choices that shape our pace - all rooted in this truth: God never asked us to run our race exhausted.

I believe we can finish strong without feeling empty. I believe God cares not just about what we do, but who we become along the way. And I believe a sustainable pace isn’t a lack of faith - it’s an act of trust.

If you’re longing for that kind of life, you’re not alone.

That’s why we created Team Not Tired - to walk this road together. We’ve committed to find the grace to run our race at a sustainable pace - and we invite you to join us.

Welcome to Team Not Tired.

We’re so excited to introduce our brand-new podcast: Team Not Tired — hosted by Shareen Crawford and Ashley Earwood.

This podcast is for the woman who’s poured herself out and still shows up. We talk faith, leadership, motherhood, rest, growth—and everything in between. Our episodes are short, real, and spirit-filled, made for the girl who’s doing her best and trusting God with the rest.

🎧 Now streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

➡️ Be sure to like, subscribe, and share so you don’t miss an episode.

We’re showing up tired—but not done. And we’d love to have you in the conversation.