When You're Tired Of Trying To Be Strong

D E V O T I O N A L

I felt it crack this morning.

Not dramatically. Not with tears or a breakdown. Just a quiet realization as I stared at my coffee, already tired before the day even started.

I am exhausted from being the strong one.

The one people lean on. The one who has it together. The one who can handle it, figure it out, keep going no matter what. The one who smiles through the hard parts and reassures everyone else that everything will be okay.

And maybe it will be. But right now, I am not okay. And I am tired of pretending that I am.

Maybe you know what that feels like. You are the person everyone calls when things fall apart. The steady presence. The reliable one. The one who does not crumble.

And on the outside, you wear it well. But on the inside, you are barely holding on.

Something is shifting in how I see this. Strength was never meant to be a performance.

We have turned strength into something we produce, project, and protect. We believe that being strong means never showing weakness, never admitting struggle, never letting people see us falter.

But that is not biblical strength. That is exhausting self-reliance dressed up as faithfulness.

God never asked you to be strong in your own power. He asked you to be honest about your weakness so His strength could show up.

What Scripture Says

"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." — 2 Corinthians 12:9

Paul did not say, "I will pretend I am fine so no one worries." He said, "I will boast in my weaknesses."

That is a foreign concept to most of us. We hide our weaknesses. We minimize them. We manage them in private and project strength in public.

But Paul understood something we often miss. When we stop pretending to be strong, we create space for God's strength to actually work.

Jesus modeled this too. He withdrew when He was tired. He wept when He grieved. He asked His friends to stay with Him in the garden because He needed support. He did not perform strength. He lived in dependence on the Father.

And if Jesus, the Son of God, did not feel the need to hold it all together on His own, why do we think we have to?

There is a difference between being faithful and being fine. Faithfulness is trusting God even when you are not okay. Being fine is pretending you do not need Him because you can manage on your own.

One requires honesty. The other requires exhaustion.

If you are tired of trying to be strong, maybe it is because you were never meant to carry that weight alone. Maybe the cracks you are feeling are not failure. Maybe they are an invitation to stop performing and start resting in the One who is actually strong.

You do not have to hold it all together. God is not impressed by your ability to fake strength. He is moved by your willingness to be honest about your weakness.

So if today is a day when you cannot muster the energy to be the strong one, let it be. Tell God the truth. Tell someone you trust the truth. Let the mask slip. Let yourself be human.

His grace is sufficient. His power is made perfect in your weakness. And that means you do not have to be strong anymore.

You just have to be honest.

Much Love & Blessings,

Ramzi

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Family

Stop being the strong one who never needs help. Let your family see you struggle. Let them pray for you. Let them serve you. When you pretend to be fine, you rob them of the chance to love you well. And you teach them that vulnerability is weakness. Show them that honesty is strength.

Relationships

If your friendships only work when you are the one holding everyone else up, something is off balance. Real friendship is mutual. You should have people who check on you, who ask how you really are, who can handle your honesty. If you do not, it might be time to find people who can sit with your weakness without needing you to be strong.

Mental Health

The performance of strength is killing you. Anxiety, depression, burnout…they all thrive in silence. They grow when you pretend you are fine. Tell someone. Get help. See a counselor. Take medication if you need it. Let the mask drop. Your mental health matters more than other people's comfort with your strength.

Finances

If financial stress is crushing you but you keep pretending everything is fine, stop. Tell your spouse. Tell a trusted friend. Ask for help if you need it. Wisdom. Accountability. Even financial assistance. God provides through people, but they cannot help if you do not let them see the need. Strength is not hiding the struggle. Strength is being honest about it.

Physical Health

Your body is telling you something when you are exhausted. Listen to it. Rest is not optional. It is necessary. Stop pushing through when your body is begging you to stop. You are not weak for needing sleep, for needing a break, for needing help. You are human. And God designed you with limits for a reason. Honor them.

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"Strength was never meant to be a performance. It was always meant to be surrender."

P.S. If you are reading this while exhausted from holding it all together, hear this: you do not have to be strong right now. You do not have to have the answer. You do not have to reassure anyone. You can be tired. You can be weak. You can be honest. And God will not be disappointed. He will be right there, holding what you cannot.

Lord,

I am so tired of trying to be strong. I am tired of holding it together. I am tired of being the one everyone leans on when I feel like I am about to collapse.

Thank You that You never asked me to be strong in my own power. Thank You that Your grace is sufficient and Your power is made perfect in my weakness.

Help me stop performing strength and start resting in Yours. Teach me to be honest about my struggles instead of hiding them. Give me people who can handle my weakness without needing me to be strong.

I lay down the weight I was never meant to carry. Hold me. Strengthen me. Sustain me.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

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