The Bite Size Podcast with Lorayne Michaels
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The Bite Size Podcast with Lorayne Michaels
Refueling Your Soul: Why Rest Matters for Purpose-Driven Women
Have you ever felt completely drained—not just physically tired, but emotionally disconnected and spiritually empty? That's where I found myself recently, with a short fuse, zero patience, and a growing sense that chaos surrounded me. The solution came in an unexpected form: a reluctant solo retreat with no agenda except to be still and listen.
This deeply personal episode explores the reality of fatigue that affects so many women juggling responsibilities in work, family, and life. I share my journey from resistance to revelation, including how God confirmed what I needed through a devotional on the exact page number of my birthday. The message is clear: we cannot fulfill our divine purpose when operating from depletion.
Drawing from Scripture and personal experience, I break down the three essential pillars for refueling—mind, body, and spirit—and offer practical ways to implement rest in your busy life. Jesus himself modeled regular withdrawal from activity to commune with the Father, showing us this isn't indulgent but necessary. The warning signs of burnout are explored alongside the transformative power of intentional stillness.
Whether you're actively burning out or sensing the early warning signs, this conversation offers both permission and practical steps to reconnect with your Creator. Remember, you were divinely created for a specific purpose—but that purpose can only be fulfilled when your cup is full. Can you spare just 15 minutes a day to begin the refilling process? Your purpose depends on it.
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Welcome to the Bite Size Podcast. I'm your host, lorraine Michaels, former EMT and nursing assistant, now business owner and wild entrepreneur. I walked away from over 15 years in medicine to pursue my passion and my God-given talents. Now I get the honor of helping other women discover their passions and purpose. If you're feeling stuck in life, unsure where to go or what to do, welcome. If you're exactly where you want to be great, you're welcome here too. If you have faced any kind of hardship or setback, you have found a safe place here. In other words, no matter who you are or what you've been through or what you're going through, this is the space for you. On the Bite Size podcast, we'll discuss life, business and faith. There's something for everyone. So grab a cup of coffee and something to take notes with, because there will definitely be things you won't want to forget. Welcome to the Bite Size Podcast. I'm your host, lorraine Michaels, and today I would like to talk, and I just got back from a solo trip, a very, very quick solo trip, but it was something that I needed. It's something that I knew I needed, but I didn't want to admit I needed. I thought of all of the reasons why I shouldn't go, or why I can't go, or you name it. I was like resisting it because, one, I felt guilty. Two, I felt a little uncomfortable because I had never really in my married life, have never gone on a solo trip for no reason. For no reason but to be still, for no reason but to hear from God. Every time I've ever gone on a solo trip, it's been for business, it's been for my business, it's been for conferences, it's been for business, it's been for my business, it's been for conferences, it's been for work, whatever. But there was always a purpose behind it and I was never alone. I was always in a group or with friends or what have you. This time it was just me and my dog and I was alone and just for the sole purpose of getting still before the Lord and really trying to focus on hearing from him, whatever it may be about, whatever he wanted to speak to me about.
Speaker 1:So today's podcast I want to talk about fatigue, and Today's podcast I want to talk about fatigue and refueling so that you can do what you were made to do. You can't pour from an empty cup. I know you've heard that saying before and it's true. You cannot pour from an empty cup, literally and figuratively. So staying connected to God is essential for sustained, impactful service. I feel like if you are not connected to the creator, to the maker, then you're not going to live your life to the fullest extent, you are not going to make the impact that God designed you to make, because I know emphatically you were divinely created for a divine purpose and in order for you to live that out, you need to be connected to the creator.
Speaker 1:And so I want you to think back to a time maybe it's now or it's been before, but a time where you have felt burnt out, a time that you were feeling tired, uninspired, spiritually dry. You were doing good things. It's not like you were a slouch on the couch and you weren't taking care of your responsibilities. You were doing good things, but it was from a place of depletion, it was from a place of monotony. Right, you were just doing the things that you know you needed to do because they had to get done, and there's nothing wrong with that. But I do want to caution you on that. If you have felt that, before the burnout, what used to be fun and exciting is no longer fun and exciting, you used to love getting up and going to work, but now it's just you have to.
Speaker 1:I want you to go back to that time in your mind and think about it. Think about the things that you were doing or the things that you were not doing. And I want to remind you of Matthew 11, 28 through 30. Jesus says come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. And so I want to make sure we understand fatigue, because fatigue is more than just tiredness. It's physical, it's emotional, it's spiritual depletion. It's not just your body is tired, but your mind is tired. You have brain fog. You can't think of the things that you need to do, normally do. Emotional side of fatigue is you're unable to connect emotionally. You are having a hard time having meaningful conversations, or even difficult conversations you just don't have the energy to do. Or it's very high, very low. It's this unbalance and spiritual depletion. Your quiet time is non-existent. You're not spending time with the Lord, or when you do, it's just so you can check the box.
Speaker 1:This, my friend, is fatigue, and it happens when we're doing too much in our own strength and we're not inviting the Lord in to renew our strength, to renew our mind to give us the strength that we need to see the things that we need to see, to do, or to see the things that we need to avoid, the path to stay away from or the path to go down. We need to stay connected to the creator so that we have that divine wisdom. Isaiah 40, 29 through 31 says he gives strength to the weary and he increases the power of the weak Friend. We cannot do it alone, and so I really want to focus on the importance of staying connected to God, because the source of his strength, his Holy Spirit, is what gets us through it. It's not the hustle and bustle, it's not the hustle and grind, it's not the more you do, the better it is. It's not that at all. It's not if you just push through it, you'll get through it. If you just push through it, you'll get over it. It's not that at all. All we have to stay connected to God, and if we don't, we fall short, and that is a burden I don't want you to carry. I sure as heck don't want to carry it. John 15 5 says I am the vine, you are the branches. Apart from me, you can do nothing. So, friend, he's literally telling us that you can't do it on your own. You cannot do it all on your own and, quite frankly, I don't want to, because I need his strength in order to get through it.
Speaker 1:You know, when I was away on this trip, I just kept praying to God. Tell me what I need to hear. Tell me what I'm missing. Reveal to me what it is that I need to hear. Tell me what I'm missing. Reveal to me what it is that I need to know. I don't know why I'm here. I know I need it. I know I need to be here and be alone and still with you. Is it something with my marriage that you need to reveal to me? Something with parenting? Something with work, business? What is it? I'm open to it. Please just reveal to me and it is so funny, it's just like God.
Speaker 1:The devotion that I found in my Bible was on this. It was on fatigue and I just want to read a little bit of it and the importance Let me get this in front here the importance of being connected and who you have in your circle, making sure you have people, friends, family, a spouse who recognizes these signs but also encourages you to do what you need to do so. Fatigue can make a nag of anyone. Nothing goes further to make a woman less able to cope with unruly children, household or job crises, a thousand of other mundane irritations. Scripture offers ways to women to reduce fatigue and avoid weariness Support from an understanding husband or a close friend. It helps you to handle the pressures and the stress more effectively and the stress more effectively, knowing that someone not only knows about the burden but comes alongside to help you bear up under that load. It makes every crisis more tolerable. And it also says women are refreshed and invigorated by being able to walk away from burdens even for a few hours. Such time for yourself can provide renewal of energies and revival of spirit and can produce creativity and recreated productivity. And I just love it because it puts it into perspective right. It puts it into perspective right Because I was getting to this point of burnout.
Speaker 1:I was realizing in my own life, in marriage, relationships, parenting, job I was realizing that one my fuse was short. I had zero tolerance for anything, for mistakes, for inadequacies. I just was not patient and I realized it and I kept saying I don't want to be like this, I don't want to be naggy, I don't want to be, you know, I don't want to be sassy, I don't want to be grumpy. I knew that I was tired and I kept saying I feel like there's chaos all around me. There's, you know, this situation. I'm trying to fix this, this situation, I'm trying to correct this, you know, trying to be present in my marriage, trying to make sure parenting is not going cattywampus, and I just felt fatigue, fatigue. I just felt fatigue, and I knew I needed time to myself.
Speaker 1:But there was no time, because I have all the things that I have to do, right, and so do you. You have a job, you are a mom, you have responsibilities, and let me tell you, it is needed to have the time to take the break, to refuel, to recenter, to align again of what is important. You have to have that, because if you don't, what is this all for? And so it was so fitting and I was just so grateful for the Lord and his sovereignty to bring me to this place, to get me away, to bring me to this devotional, and I want to tell you something the page it's on is my birthday. It's 1031. That is the page that it's on, and I didn't realize that until today, when I opened it back up to do the podcast and I just laughed.
Speaker 1:Because when you are willing, when you are with your hands wide open in complete surrender to the Lord, he will speak to you. He's always there, he always is speaking to you. But when you, what is the saying? The teacher appears when the student is ready for the test. Um, the teacher appears when the student is ready for the test. I think that's it. It's something along those lines. The teacher will appear when the student's ready for the test.
Speaker 1:I don't know, it's something along those lines, but it's so true because so often, you know, I pray, I do my devotionals and whatnot. I'm like, speak to me, lord, speak to me. But as I'm doing that, I'm doing something else or my mind goes somewhere else and I just read hurry up, okay, yeah, god thanks. And just zip, zip, zip, zip on through it. But when you are intentional, when you are still before the Lord, and when you are not just asking but seeking, seeking his knowledge, seeking the refueling, seeking the answers, he will show it to you. And it couldn't have been more perfect. I knew I was tired, I knew I was tapped out and I knew I needed something and I needed rest and I needed to connect with God, and it was absolutely perfect and I loved it. Was absolutely perfect and I loved it, and so I love Mark 6, 31.
Speaker 1:Come with me, by yourselves, to a quiet place and get some rest. I really I hope, friend whoever you are listening to this, I hope you're able to reflect and see that there's a God out there that loves you more than anything in the world and that wants to be so close to you and wants to give you your heart's desires and wants to give you that rest and that renewal, that burst of energy. Jesus modeled rest and communion with the Father as essential in his mission. Think about all the times that he went away alone to be with the Lord. It's needed. We have to do it If we want to continue this race and end it well. It's needed.
Speaker 1:So what are the warning signs? The signs that you are tapping out, the signs that you are burnt out or you're heading towards it. Irritability, exhaustion, lack of joy, serving out of a duty, not of overflow these are all signs, friend, that you are running on empty. And so what is some scripture to help you through this? And so what is some scripture to help you through this Galatians 6, 9. I love this. Let us not become weary in doing good. So we need to pause, we have to be still and get the refuel. Psalms 42, 2 says my soul thirsts for God, for the living God. I just want to encourage you to get before the Lord to find the time in the hustle and bustle. Just find the time to get away. Sometimes it's only for 30 minutes an hour, but to be intentional and to get away. So what are some practical ways to refuel? Spending the time with God I am always talking about with my clients and coaching and whatnot. And speaking.
Speaker 1:Mind, body, spirit those are the three essential pillars of success mind, body, spirit. And the spirit needs time with God. So that quiet time whenever it is morning, noon or night, whenever it is, but spending time in prayer, spending time worshiping, journaling in the word. Body you need to take care of your body Proper sleep, proper nutrition, hydration, movement I talk about this all the time. Those are so important because they are all interconnected.
Speaker 1:Your mind you need to make sure you are capturing every thought. It says it in the word. Take every thought captive to renew your mind in the spirit. Do not become like the world, but become like Jesus. So, setting boundaries, letting go of the performance, stop doing things out of that performance energy. Do it because you love to do it, because you enjoy to do it, because God created you for it. Community getting around people who refill you, not who drain you. Find the people that are energy givers and be an energy giver. Don't be an energy taker, but getting around the right community who will lift you up and who will pray for you, who will encourage you, who will push you in a purposeful way Romans 12, 2, I just said it to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And then 1 Corinthians, 6, 19 and 20,.
Speaker 1:Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. You have to take care of your body. It's a temple and if you don't take care of it, it's going to fall apart, just like with your car. You have to do maintenance on your car. You have to get oil changes right. You have to continue to put gas in it. You have to refuel it with what it needs. You have to do maintenance on it so that it runs to the best of its ability. And so do you. Take care of your temple and letting God use the pause.
Speaker 1:Being tired is not a bad thing. Don't get down on yourself. If you are in this place of burnout, this place of fatigue, don't beat yourself up about it. God is so sovereign and he will use this time of your burnout to pull you nearer to him, if you allow him. It's often an invitation to become close to God, and then fatigue can lead to fruitfulness. After the rest, after you do what you need to do, you get what you need to get from God and you take that time for yourself. It will lead to energy. It'll lead to purpose production, that fruit that we all long to have. Psalms 23, one through three says he makes me lie down in green pastures. He restores my soul.
Speaker 1:Friend, I promise you, if you take the time to be alone with God, to get in the word, to pray, to journal, to get in the word to pray, to journal, he will reveal things to you and he will renew that energy. So what is your job this week? I want you to take an inventory of your life, of your spirituality, of your energy, of your responses. Take inventory of how are you showing up, are you tired, are you fatigued, are you feeling like you're burnt out. And what's the one thing you can do today to spiritually refuel? Just the one thing you can't get away for a weekend or a day or what have you. You can't do it, I understand, but what's the one thing you can do to refuel? And I just want to challenge you to spend 15 minutes with God each day. This week it's Sunday, we're starting all over. Spend 15 minutes alone in the word and praying with God and just see, see what he does, see how he shows up.
Speaker 1:I love you, friend, wherever you are, you are so precious and there's a reason for you. There is a reason, there's a purpose. You were divinely created for a divine purpose, and so, if this episode has helped you in any way, please leave a review. That's the easiest thing you can do for me and I would love it if you left a review. Share this episode, tag me on the socials and remember I love you and I am always here for you. You can reach out to me, you can email me, reach out to me on social media. I would love to connect with you. Make it a great day, guys.