Weariness to Wholeness
BY: ANNA BOOTH
Empowering women to move from weariness to wholeness.
It’s our tagline, but what does that actually mean? What does it look like to move from weariness to wholeness in real life?
I believe that a lot of people are living a weary life. Not just physically tired, but weary in mind, body, and spirit. Living for after work, the weekend, the next vacation. Life is hard, and there is no escaping the existence of pain, exhaustion and suffering. It’s part of the human experience. AND I fully believe that contentment…flourishing…wholeness is possible right where you are. I think everyone craves that and yet many don’t believe it’s accessible or even possible.
I don’t think this means you have to be living your dream life. If you are, I’m so glad! What a gift. But I do think it means making a CHOICE to combat weariness right where you are. That doesn’t just happen. Wholeness does not just happen to you, it’s something that is pursued and fought for. Practically speaking, this is often a combination of healing work, gratitude practice, and intentional community. Weariness thrives in brokenness, bitterness, and loneliness. Go see a counselor, start eating what your body needs, go on walks, keep a gratitude list, find one or two people to link arms with and commit to falling in love with your life, whatever that looks like for you.
For me (Anna), this idea of weariness to wholeness has looked like figuring out how to make choices and honor boundaries that allow my body to thrive. I have battled chronic illness for most of my life, and there have been many seasons that I have overcommitted in an effort to make up for “lost” time.
As I’ve gotten older, through counseling and conversations with other trusted people in my life, I’ve come to a place of deeply believing my worth, and seeing that it’s better to say no in order to give my best yes. This has looked like going part time in nursing school even though it would take longer to finish, quitting a hospital job that took a mental and physical toll, boundaries around relationships and trusting myself in what I’m able to give, and choosing to prioritize caring for myself through exercise, medication, food and relationship. There have been difficult seasons of my life, but I can truly say that I love my life. I love who I’ve become, and I feel whole in a way I couldn’t even have imagined. Are there still weary days? Absolutely. But this does not define my life. With eyes of gratitude, I am able to look at my circumstances and trust that Jesus is shaping me through both the good and the hard. None of it is wasted, and it all moves me forward if I let it.
I asked my friends here at FFCO to share what weariness to wholeness looks like in their lives, and here is what they shared…
Caroline –
I’ve lived three whole decades–woah. My life up until this point has been a journey of learning what it looks like to move from weariness to wholeness. I haven’t always done this well, but those moments of learning, grieving, pivoting, and celebrating are what have impacted and grown me. Life is wonderfully beautiful and achingly hard. We’re inevitably going to feel weary at times, but what I’ve learned that marks me as human is what I do with that weariness. This awareness has freed me to live into the wholeness of who I am. It’s the time I’ve taken to allow myself to heal. It’s the confidence, bravery, and trust in my story. It’s the surrender and deep breaths along the way. It’s being held by others when needed (& being okay with that). It’s taking the next right step with scared bravery. I feel more excited for my 30s than any other decade of my life because I love the woman I wake up to everyday. And that to me is wholeness. It’s looking in the mirror, seeing a reflection of my life, and thinking “this is who I was created to be” and living into that fully and joyfully.
Christina –
To me weariness to wholeness is a constant movement towards joy. It’s growing and adapting and choosing to look for the light in a weary world. It’s a journey to find the things in life that point you in the right direction and cling to them. It’s something that is never complete; something you will always be learning about and taking steps forward.
I’ve struggled with depression for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I have let the weariness take over and consume me. In those moments I have felt alone and worthless. But by God’s grace, people have been put into my life to remind me of His truth and light. My husband, my sons, my friends, the FFCO community – they all point me towards wholeness instead of weariness. As I grow and lean into the joy, I hope to help others do the same.
Hannah –
For me, moving from weariness to wholeness has meant continually learning to find my safety and confidence, hope and identity in who my Creator says I am – not in the wounding and heartache I have experienced.
It has looked like inviting others into my journey of trauma and longing, betrayal and insecurity and allowing God to redefine my worth from the inside out. It’s trusting what He says about me, not by the things that have happened to me. It has looked like hours of counseling and intentional friendships that have held me up. It has looked like heartache that I felt physically in my body and a peace I’ve found in turning over my lack of answers to Christ.
Wholeness for me in this season of my life, just stepping into my 30s looks like hope. I am more hopeful and healthy than I have ever been, both physically and in my heart. I feel like a broken jar that has graciously been glued back together, not fully yet, however those cracks are where the light shines through if I choose to see it.
The journey between weariness and wholeness for me has been messy, non-linear, beautiful & hard-fought, and I believe I will always be working towards wholeness, as I won’t arrive this side of Heaven. I believe that in Christ, nothing is wasted. God is always on more than one mission at a time, and my story of weariness to wholeness is hopefully impacting someone else’s along their journey, and theirs, someone else’s. What a beautiful picture that is.
Averi –
For me, “From weariness to wholeness” looks like finding purpose in the mundane. It means that there is life and fullness even in the small moments of connection.
As a full time working mom, it can feel like I’m not giving enough or not present enough, but realizing that wholeness gets to look different for everyone. It’s easy to get stuck in the trap of exhaustion – the one that whispers in your ear telling you that you’ve failed or haven’t shown up enough. That weariness hits hard, but choosing to see that life and goodness can be found even in the seemingly small moments… that feels like flourishing to me.
Shelby –
Weariness in my life looked like crippling anxiety while trying to hold up this perfect, instagram worthy picture of my life that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Hiding, shame, and protecting my “image” kept me from healing for a really long time which led to depression, loss of purpose, and isolation. I stumbled, or maybe I crawled into this community that valued honesty, vulnerability, and intentionality. People asked the hard questions and sat with me in the harder answers. They carried me to Jesus time and time again when I was too ashamed to go to Him myself. There was no timeline or expectation to heal at a certain pace or even a certain way, there was just community and trust and people who really loved me. And through those honest friendships and community and people willing to get down in the mess with me instead of just throwing me a rope or sending me a Bible verse, I moved from weariness to wholeness.
I hope reading this is an encouragement to you that wholeness is possible for YOU. If you feel stuck in a life that you’re merely existing in, please hear me say that there is more. This doesn’t have to be all there is for you, but you do have to choose. So here’s your nudge to make one small choice today that moves you towards a life you love living. Even if your circumstances aren’t able to change, your mindset absolutely can. Starting is the hardest part! You can do this.
