Running on empty, but held by grace

Some weekends don’t quite go to plan, do they? Mine certainly didn’t. I stayed up into the small hours of Sunday morning to watch the Scotland v Haiti match — a 2am kick‑off that felt like a good idea at the time. I did manage a couple of hours in bed beforehand, but it was more “dosing” than actual sleep. By the time the final whistle blew, it was just after 4am. A good result for Scotland, even if the performance wasn’t exactly one for the history books. Still — three points are three points, and we’ll take them.

Sunday evening gave me a chance to catch up on some of the sleep I’d missed, but today — Monday — the exhaustion has lingered. It’s that deep tiredness that sits behind your eyes and makes everything feel just a little heavier. And with two days in the office this week, plus a hospital appointment, it’s shaping up to be a long, draining few days.

But as I sit with that feeling tonight, I’m reminded of a simple truth: God does not ask us to run on our own strength. In fact, He often meets us most tenderly when we’re running on empty.

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9

There’s something strangely comforting about that. We don’t need to pretend we’re fine. We don’t need to muster up energy we don’t have. We don’t need to face the week with a brave face and a stiff upper lip. We simply need to show up — tired, worn out, honest — and let God carry what we can’t.

Maybe this week will be long. Maybe it will be tiring. But it will also be held. Every appointment, every commute, every moment where the tiredness catches up with me — none of it is faced alone.

Tonight, I’m choosing to rest in that. To breathe deeply. To trust that the God who never sleeps is watching over me even when I’m struggling to keep my eyes open.

And perhaps that’s enough for now.

I know I’ve used ‘He Will Hold Me Fast’ a few times recently, but the words of this song as just so perfect for this coming week,