It Is Time to Shake Off the Heaviness

For the Christian Mom Walking Through a Hard Season

For the past six months, I have not been writing.

I did not make a conscious decision to stop. I simply found myself in a season of heaviness, and somewhere along the way, the words stopped coming.

Over the last few years, my family has experienced significant transitions and deep grief. We have said goodbye to several family members, and I am now living in a world where both of my parents are gone.

There is something strange about that kind of loss. No matter how old you are, losing both of your parents can leave you feeling untethered. The people who knew you from the beginning are no longer here, and you find yourself asking questions you never expected to ask:

Who am I now?

At the same time, I found myself in the depths of perimenopause. I am still learning how to navigate the physical, mental, and emotional changes that have come with it. My body felt unfamiliar. My emotions felt unpredictable. My energy was different. Even my ability to think clearly and create seemed to change.

Somewhere between the grief, the transitions, and the hormonal changes, I began to feel as though I was losing myself.

Maybe you have felt that way too.

You have spent years caring for your family, carrying responsibilities, navigating disappointments, and trying to remain faithful. But now you hardly recognize the woman looking back at you in the mirror.

You still love Jesus.

You still believe His Word.

But you are tired.

And the heaviness has settled in.

When the Holy Spirit Says, “Get Up”

At one point during this season, I sensed the Holy Spirit speaking clearly to my heart:

It is time to get up. Shake off the warfare and remember who you are.

I knew the Lord was not condemning me for the season I had walked through. He was not shaming me for grieving or telling me that my pain did not matter.

He was reminding me that the hard season did not get to become my identity.

Grief had been part of my story, but grief was not my name.

Perimenopause was affecting my body, but it did not get to define my purpose.

Weariness had slowed me down, but it did not have the authority to silence what God had placed inside me.

The Lord was calling me to take off the heaviness and put praise back on.

Isaiah 61:3 speaks about God giving us “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”

A garment is something we intentionally put on. We choose what we are going to wear.

In the same way, there are moments when we must intentionally choose praise—not because everything feels good, but because God is still good.

Praise does not deny our pain.

Praise declares that our pain does not have the final word.

Praise reminds our souls that Jesus is still King, His promises are still true, and His presence has never left us.

Take Off the Lies and Put On the Truth

Hard seasons can make us especially vulnerable to the lies of the enemy.

The enemy may whisper:

You have nothing left to offer.

Your best days are behind you.

You have missed your opportunity.

You are too tired, too broken, or too far gone for God to use you.

No one needs what you have to say.

Those thoughts may sound like your own voice, but they do not sound like the voice of your Father.

The Bible tells us to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). It also tells us to put off what belongs to our old way of thinking and be renewed in the spirit of our minds (Ephesians 4:22–24).

We must learn to take off the lies and put on God’s truth.

Take off: I have lost myself.

Put on: My identity is secure in Christ.

Take off: I have nothing left to give.

Put on: God’s power is made perfect in my weakness.

Take off: My story does not matter.

Put on: My testimony can help someone else overcome.

Take off: I am alone in this battle.

Put on: Jesus has promised never to leave me or forsake me.

We cannot always control the thoughts that knock on the door of our minds, but we do not have to invite every thought inside, give it a cup of coffee, and allow it to move in.

We can bind up the lies of the enemy, reject what does not agree with Scripture, and replace it with the truth of God’s Word.

The Treasure You Carry

Recently, I had a vision in which I was carrying two treasure boxes.

I understood that those boxes represented two messages the Lord had entrusted to me—stories and truths that were not meant to remain hidden.

I felt the Lord reminding me:

It is time to get back in the game. There are moms who need your stories.

That reminder spurred me to begin writing again.

The messages God has given me are not only for me. He has walked me through grief, suffering, spiritual warfare, persistent prayer, healing, and learning to trust Him so that I can turn around and encourage someone else who is still in the middle of the battle.

But this is not only true for me.

You are carrying treasure too.

Your testimony matters.

Your prayers matter.

Your obedience matters.

Your faithfulness inside your home matters.

You may not be called to write a book or share your story publicly, but you have people who need what God has placed within you.

Your children need a mother who knows how to stand on the truth.

Your family needs a woman who knows how to pray.

Your home needs someone who recognizes the schemes of the enemy and refuses to allow darkness to have the final say.

This does not mean you will never feel tired. It does not mean you cannot grieve or that you must pretend to be strong every moment.

It means that even in your weakness, you continue turning toward Jesus.

There Is a Time for Everything

Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that there is a time for everything.

There is a time to grieve.

There is a time to rest.

There is a time to be quiet.

There is a time to heal.

Some seasons are not meant to be rushed. Jesus is gentle with us in our pain, and we should be gentle with ourselves too.

But there also comes a time when the Lord says:

Daughter, it is time to get up.

It is time to shake off the dust.

It is time to put praise back on.

It is time to pick up your sword.

It is time to remember who you are.

When Jesus calls us to move in a new direction, we cannot remain where we have been simply because it has become familiar.

He never promised that this life would be easy. But He did promise that He would be with us.

Mom, Your Family Needs You in the Battle

Mom, I do not know what season you are in today.

Maybe you are grieving.

Maybe your marriage is struggling.

Maybe you are worried about one of your children.

Maybe your body is changing, and you no longer feel like yourself.

Maybe you have been carrying responsibilities that no one else can see.

Whatever you are facing, please hear this:

The heaviness you feel is not the whole story.

Jesus is still with you.

The Holy Spirit is still strengthening you.

God’s Word is still true.

And the enemy does not get to decide who you are or how your story ends.

Your family needs you in the battle—not striving in your own strength, but standing in the strength of the Lord.

Put on the full armor of God.

Fasten the belt of truth.

Guard your heart with righteousness.

Raise the shield of faith.

Protect your mind with the helmet of salvation.

Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

And pray.

You do not have to fight perfectly. You simply have to keep turning toward Jesus.

Take off the lies.

Put on the truth.

Take off the heaviness.

Put on the garment of praise.

There are people who need the treasure God has placed inside you.

It is time to remember who you are.

It is time to get back in the game.

A Prayer for the Mom in a Hard Season

Jesus, I pray for the mom who feels weighed down today. Meet her in the middle of her grief, exhaustion, confusion, and pain. Remind her that she is not forgotten and that she has not lost her identity or her purpose.

Help her recognize the lies the enemy has been speaking and give her the strength to replace those lies with Your truth. Teach her how to take every thought captive and stand firmly on Your Word.

Give her beauty for ashes, joy in place of mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Help her put on the full armor of God and resist every scheme of darkness against her mind, her family, and her home.

When it is time to rest, help her rest without guilt. When it is time to grieve, hold her close. And when You say it is time to get up, give her the courage to rise.

Remind her who she is in You and awaken the treasure You have placed inside her.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

In Him,

Heather Bradley