A Liturgy for When a Parent Is Exhausted

Editor’s Note: A liturgy is a script, pattern, or rhythm meant to focus our hearts and lead them to worship. For the mom in a difficult place today, we hope the words below might be used to remind you of God’s presence in every moment. Consider praying them silently or aloud, posting them in a place you’ll regularly reference, using them as a springboard for journaling, or talking through them with a friend. For more liturgies on a variety of real-life topics and emotions, visit our friends over at EveryMomentHoly.com.


The labors of loving a child sometimes
feel endless and exhausting, O Christ.

These times of restlessness,
of sleeplessness, of busyness,
become blurred seasons—but
still strewn with small treasures
easily missed by my weary heart. 

Sometimes I am reminded, 
with a pang of melancholy
that these little gifts of joy and 
delight—like bright petals riding 
a swift stream—are daily passing 
me by, unmarked because I am 
too tired to find them.

Refill my heart, O Lord.
Restore my soul.
Revive my mind. 
Renew my strength. 

Open my eyes to the diamond-
sparklings of your mercies embedded
in each fleeting moment.

Let me live—even these wearying 
days—more alive to the constant 
movements of your grace. 

Amen.


Every Moment Holy, Volume III (Rabbit Room Press, 2023)
copyright 2023 by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
Used with permission

Leslie Eiler Thompson & Douglas McKelvey

Born of a math-teaching father and art-teaching mother, Leslie Eiler Thompson’s work strikes a balance between craft and calculation. A polymath, her work takes on many forms—from podcast hosting/producing to writing, to music & VoiceOver work, to owning a creative consulting studio. Leslie and her family make home in the hills just outside the Nashville, Tennessee skyline. LeslieEilerThompson.com

Douglas Kaine McKelvey grew up in East Texas and moved to Nashville in 1991 to participate in the early work of Charlie Peacock's Art House Foundation, an organization dedicated to a shared exploration of faith and the arts. In the years since, he has worked as an author, song lyricist, scriptwriter, and video director. He has penned more than 350 lyrics recorded by artists including Switchfoot, Kenny Rogers, Sanctus Real, and Jason Gray.

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Fear to Joy: A Daughter I (Never Thought I) Needed

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The Heart of Christ for Anxious Mamas