Dear the One who is mentally, physically, and spiritually drained.

You are tired, I know, believe me. It is getting to that time in the semester where classes are becoming more demanding, club and social events are more frequent in the week, and time just seems to disappear. You are staying up way too late studying, you can barely keep your eyes open in class, and you can't remember the last time you didn't have a full to-do list. At this point, you are just trying to make it through the day in one piece. You are the definition of mentally and physically drained.

With all the noise and business of your worldly to-dos, your spiritual life has taken the backseat. Although you hate to admit it, you haven't had time to really seek or listen for God. You've thought about it, a lot. You have great intentions, however, somehow your time for God keeps getting pushed back on the schedule. When all of a sudden, it is 2 A.M. and you've just collapsed into bed realizing you haven't made any time in your day for God.

Not only have you not made any time for Him, but you realize a big majority of the day, your thoughts were focused on worldly things. You don't remember the last time you had an encounter with His presence. Do you begin to ask yourself: Where is He? Why is He distant?

Let me just stop you right there. I know He feels distant. I know how much it sucks. I know how much you want to find rest in Him. I know how much you are realizing you have missed Him. I'll be the one to tell you, He has missed you as well.

He has missed your time. He misses you finding comfort in Him. He wants you to find your rest in Him, and Him alone. Especially, in times like these. He can give you a type of rest that doesn't compare to 12 hours of sleep and a day at the spa.

Therefore I tell you, do not be content in your tired, drained self. If you feel like God is out of reach, or that you are too busy to "waste" your precious time on sometime in your prayer closet, reject those thoughts. These are all lies from the enemy. Break out from the lie, and actively seek out Christ. He is not as far as you may think.

I know it feels like no matter what you do God is distant, but rest in this promise from Isaiah 49:16. Jesus tells us "I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands." If that didn't just rock your world, go back and reread and meditate on that verse for a little while. [Insert your name here] is engraved on the palms that created the universe. He could never forget you. You could never escape His mind. You are a part of Him. He never does anything without thinking of you.

Now that you can at least try to grasp His love for you and your importance to Him, here is another promise from Jeremiah 29:12-14: "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.I will be found by you, declares the Lord." There you have it. When you cry out to God and pray to Him with all your heart, He will hear you; emphasis on "with all your heart." He wants your fully devoted attention. Not a heart focused on the problems of the world, but a heart willing to lay down those burdens and find rest in Him. So next time, do not question His presence. He is always with you, at this exact moment. He always hears your cries and is making everything work together for your good.

So to you, who is burdened, tired, distant, and drained. I know how you feel, truly I do. But I have realized that there is another option. There is rest outside of bodily sleep. There is God in the silence. There is peace and calm in the middle of this hectic life. Seek God when things are the most stressful and draining and find rest in Him.

With Love,

Someone who is in your shoes