Recognizing when spiritual exhaustion has quietly taken over your faith

A couple of months ago, I was struggling. I didn’t want to read my Bible, praying felt like a chore and even listening to my beloved contemporary Christian music was falling flat. It was, quite simply, spiritual burnout.

I wasn’t angry at God or doubting Him. I was just weary, overwhelmed and tired. My spiritual life started feel like it was just adding to my endless to-do list and I couldn’t measure up.

While I think this is something most Christians experience at different times in life, it’s not a topic we are likely to talk about. And I think it’s really a big issue for us mamas. 

Our to-do lists never stop. The mental load of motherhood is taxing. Finding ways to keep all the balls in the air at the same time is just not possible.

Before I go further, I want to start with some reassurances that I need and you may, too:

• You haven’t lost your faith.
• Your spiritual journey isn’t derailed.
• God isn’t upset with you.
• Your Heavenly Father loves you and understands you.

(If this post resonates, you’re not alone. I created the Simple Faith without Pressure Bible study for moms who feel spiritually tired and overwhelmed. It’s completely free and designed to help you reconnect with God without adding more pressure to your plate.)

What faith burnout actually feels like

Faith burnout can be hard to recognize at first because it creeps in slowly. It’s not usually one dramatic moment. Instead, it’s the gradual shift from “I get to” to “I have to.”

I had been going along just fine with reading my Bible. I had a new women’s devotional Bible I was enjoying, in fact. But slowly, reading my Bible began to feel more like obligation than privilege. I dreaded it more than I looked forward to it.

My prayer time became more routine list of going through the motions rather than actually communicating with God. I even found myself wanting to avoid church activities that I usually loved. 

These are all signs of faith burnout. Other things can include saying yes to additional ministry commitments even though you’re already drowning because saying no feels like giving up on God altogether.

Or you might feel guilty more often than you feel loved by God. Maybe you compare your spiritual practices to someone else’s and always come up short. 

Perhaps rest feels impossible because there’s always something more you “should” be doing for God.

This is spiritual exhaustion, and it’s more common than we talk about. Especially for moms who are already pouring themselves out in a thousand different directions in their daily life.

When striving replaces grace

Here’s what often happens: we start our Christian life understanding grace. We accept that we’re saved by faith, not by our own effort. But then, somewhere along the way, we slip into trying to earn what we already have.

We begin measuring our spiritual health by how busy we are, how much we’re serving and how consistent our quiet time is. We put pressure on ourselves to do spiritual things like reading through the Bible in a year. 

Serving, having quiet time and reading through the Bible are healthy spiritual habits, but when we start putting pressure on ourselves and doing them right, we often get off track.

Galatians 3:3 asks a piercing question that gets right to the heart of this: “Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?”

We start with grace, but we end up in striving. We accept God’s love as a gift, but then we spend our days trying to prove we deserve it through our own actions.

And that’s exhausting. This state of exhaustion didn’t happen overnight, and it won’t resolve overnight either.

The pressure of performance-based faith

Social media hasn’t helped. We see beautiful Bible journaling spreads and perfectly organized prayer journals. Or we watch someone’s morning routine—complete with an hour of worship and homemade bread—and wonder what’s wrong with us for struggling to read one chapter while our toddler pours milk on the dog.

But comparison is always based on incomplete information. You’re comparing your full reality with someone else’s highlight reel. 

You’re measuring your messy kitchen and forgotten prayers against a carefully curated image that doesn’t tell the whole story.

The truth is, God isn’t asking you to be that other mom. He’s not comparing your faith to hers. He sees you in your unique season, with your specific circumstances and challenges, and He’s inviting you to be faithful right where you are in your own life.

Not perfect. Just faithful. And there’s a world of difference between the two.

What God is actually asking for

This is where Jesus’ words in John 6:28-29 become so important. The people asked Him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 

And Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”

Believe. That’s it. Not achieve, not perform, not prove yourself. Just believe.

Your Christian faith isn’t primarily about what you do for God. It’s about trusting what He’s already done for us. It’s relationship, not accomplishments.

When we make faith about performance, we turn it into something it was never meant to be. We create our own spiritual exhaustion by trying to earn love that’s already freely given. 

In the end, we do the wrong thing with good intentions by adding more spiritual disciplines when what we really need is rest in God’s grace.

Good things can still be exhausting

Here’s something that makes spiritual burnout especially tricky: we’re often exhausted by good things. Bible reading is good. Prayer is good. Serving at church is good. Small group participation is good.

But even good things, when piled on top of an already full life, can lead to emotional exhaustion and feelings of exhaustion that seep into our whole life.

The problem isn’t the spiritual practices themselves. The problem is when they become obligations we perform to prove ourselves rather than ways we connect with the God who loves us.

At the end of the day, it’s not about doing more good things. It’s about making sure the right thing has first place in our hearts: relationship with God, not religious performance.

The difference between rest and laziness

I know what you might be thinking: “But doesn’t God want me to grow? Doesn’t He call me to serve? Isn’t there more to faith than just believing?”

Yes. Growth is real. Service matters. But here’s the crucial difference: when we’re rooted in God’s grace, growth and service flow naturally from love, not from fear of not being enough.

We don’t serve to earn God’s approval. We serve because we’ve already received it.

We don’t read God’s Word to check a box. We read it because we want to know the God who loves us.

We don’t pray to prove we’re spiritual. We pray because we’re talking to Someone who actually cares about our day, our struggles and our hearts.

When faith comes from a place of rest rather than striving, it stops feeling heavy. Not because the circumstances change, but because we’re no longer carrying the weight of trying to make ourselves acceptable to God through our own efforts.

This is the good news: you don’t have to earn what you already have.

Rest doesn’t mean standing still

One thing I want to be really clear about: choosing rest and releasing pressure doesn’t mean we stop pursuing God altogether.

Faith isn’t passive. It’s living and growing. We do keep moving forward, but not through guilt, fear or sheer willpower. 

Rest isn’t the opposite of faithfulness. It’s often what allows faithfulness to last.

Sometimes burnout convinces us that the only options are pushing harder or giving up. But there’s a third way: continuing to seek God in smaller, more honest, more sustainable ways. 

A whispered prayer still matters. A single verse still feeds our souls. Showing up imperfectly still counts.

Grace doesn’t invite us to disengage from God. Instead it invites us to stay connected without the pressure to perform.

(If you’d like encouragement and honest conversation around this, you’re welcome to join my free Facebook group, Christian Moms with Grace. It’s a supportive space for moms to talk about faith, family and real life without judgment or pressure.)

Small shifts that make room for grace

If you’re feeling burned out in your spiritual life right now, you don’t need another five-step plan or a more rigorous routine. You need permission to let go of what’s crushing you.

That might look like stepping back from a ministry role that’s draining you dry. It might mean switching from that Bible reading plan that’s making you dread opening Scripture. It could be as simple as having a two-minute honest conversation with God while you’re folding laundry instead of beating yourself up for not having a perfect quiet time.

A few months ago, I was pushing through a difficult book in the Bible, dreading my daily readings. One morning, I felt the Holy Spirit whisper to me to go off plan and read the book of Luke instead. 

The relief I felt when I gave myself permission to do that was immediate. I’d been letting my idea of what Bible reading should look like get in the way of actually connecting with God.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is admit we’re tired and let God meet us in that honesty. There’s no shame in recognizing you need to adjust your spiritual journey to fit your current season.

Setting healthy boundaries isn’t unspiritual

One of the hardest lessons for many of us—especially when we feel responsible for everyone—is that saying no isn’t the same as lacking faith.

Jesus set boundaries. He withdrew from the crowds to pray. He didn’t heal every person or meet every need. He knew His mission and stayed focused on God’s way rather than everyone’s expectations.

Setting healthy boundaries in your spiritual life isn’t selfish. It’s sustainable. It’s recognizing that you’re not God, and that’s actually good news.

You can’t be at every church activity. You don’t have to lead every Bible study. You’re allowed to skip Sunday morning service occasionally when you’re sick or completely depleted. You can love God deeply without running yourself into the ground.

In fact, last fall, I chose to step back from making dinner for our church youth group once every couple of months because it was overwhelming in that particular season. It wasn’t permanent, and I’ve started serving in that way again. 

But I needed that break and boundary in that season, and it’s OK. God wasn’t made at me. The youth pastor understood. No kids went hungry. We all survived and now I feel more excited for having had a break.

It’s a relatively small thing, yet knowing I could say no when I felt overwhelmed brought me immense relief.

Creating space for rest isn’t giving up. It’s making room for the power of the Holy Spirit to actually work in your life instead of trying to manufacture spiritual fruit through sheer willpower.

The gift you’ve been trying to earn

Here’s the truth that changes everything: you already have what you’ve been exhausting yourself trying to achieve.

You’re already loved. Already accepted. Already enough—not because of what you do, but because of what Christ has done.

God isn’t standing over you with a clipboard, marking down every spiritual failure. He’s not comparing you to other Christians. He sees you through the lens of Jesus’ finished work, and He sees you as beloved.

Faith without pressure means recognizing this truth and letting it sink deep into your heart. It means asking “What is God inviting me into today?” instead of “What do I have to do to be acceptable?”

That shift changes everything. It transforms your spiritual life from a burden into the gift it was always meant to be.

Permission to rest

If you’re burned out right now, please hear this: God is not disappointed in you. He sees your weariness, and He’s inviting you to rest.

Not to do more. To rest.

You’re allowed to have seasons where you can’t do it all. You’re allowed to step back. You’re allowed to admit you’re tired. You’re allowed to let some things go.

God isn’t asking you to run yourself into the ground for Him. He’s asking you to abide in Him, to stay connected, to let His life flow through you instead of trying to manufacture spiritual fruit through sheer willpower.

Sometimes the most faithful thing you can do is take a nap, order pizza for dinner and spend the evening just being present with your family instead of rushing off to another church event. Sometimes the best thing for your soul is simply spending much time in God’s presence without any agenda.

God isn’t asking for your exhaustion. He’s offering His rest.

What matters most

At the end of the day, faith isn’t measured by how much you do or how perfect your spiritual practices look. It’s measured by trust. By showing up honestly. By believing that God loves you even on the days when you don’t feel very spiritual.

Your simple, imperfect, sometimes-struggling faith is enough. Because faith was never about you being enough. It’s about trusting that Jesus is.

The only way forward when you’re burned out isn’t to try harder. It’s to receive grace more fully. It’s to let God carry what you were never meant to carry alone.

So take a deep breath, mama. Let go of the pressure. God meets you right where you are—tired, imperfect, doing your best. And that’s exactly where His grace does its most beautiful work.

(For moms who want deeper support and guided faith rhythms, I also host a small paid Facebook group, The Grace Circle for Moms, that walks through this study together with added encouragement and resources. It’s there for those who want a little more structure and community in this season.)

Find more faith encouragement in these posts:

Faith without pressure: Why grace matters more than works

Loving others without burnout: A guide for busy moms

Encouragement for when you feel like you’re failing God

Lessons from mothers in the Bible