Feeling Stuck? 3 Reminders to Help You Move from Spiritual Fatigue to Hope in Christ
When we reach for Christ, we can become new creatures in Him.
I love the changing of the seasons. If you know me personally, you know that my love for autumn is borderline obsessive. It’s a season of colors, golden evenings, and transformation I always look forward to.
However, this year, I’ve felt soul-deep fatigue even amid the fall.
Instead of finding joy in the present, I’ve longed for more than a change of weather. I’ve felt like we are all stuck in a perpetual winter, with no sign of new life in sight.
But that changed when I heard Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during general conference: “All of us can have a new beginning through, and because of, Jesus Christ. Even you.”
His words seemed to give me back my soul and a renewed sense of hope in my Savior—the key to new beginnings and fresh starts.
I Can Begin Again—Every Day
With the bleak state of the world wearing down my cheerful exterior, I’ve grappled with my worst habits: unrighteous judgment, impatience, jealousy, resentment, and overwhelming powerlessness. I’ve wanted to change my mindset, but I’ve felt stuck.
But as Elder Kearon testified, “Through the goodness and grace of the Saviour, … you can actually change things about yourself that have been wearing you down for years.”
As I look at the many seasons I’ve lived, I see that when I have turned to Him, the Savior has changed my heart many times, in a way only He could.
When I prioritize the Savior, I can better shift judgment into compassion, impatience into gratitude, resentment into forgiveness, and I can accept reality instead of resisting it. I can repent and be renewed. This, to me, is what change through Him looks like. When I turn to His grace, I can begin again until those changes stick.
He Can Help Others Begin Again
Few things bring me more pain than seeing loved ones make choices I know aren’t serving them. Unfortunately, I am someone who sees a problem in a friend or family member’s life and immediately responds with plans and endless resources from ChatGPT to make all their issues poof out of existence!
I want them to live their best lives. I want them to be happy.
Although these wants aren’t inherently bad, focusing only on their problems makes me feel powerless. This can leave me feeling resentful, angry, and frustrated.
Elder Kearon gave me a gentle but firm reminder about those the Savior healed during His ministry. He said: “The Saviour’s words to these individuals were brief, but with them He painted vast new horizons of forgiveness, healing, restoration, peace, and eternal life. And the glorious news is He offers the same new beginning to you and to me.”
It’s not my responsibility to propel others to change—only the Savior can do that. He can change all hearts. What I can do is allow Him to change me—enabling me to emulate His love, empathy, compassion, and forgiveness as I cheer others on.
We Don’t Have to Wait for a New Beginning
When I think of the beautiful souls the Savior healed during His mortal life, there’s one who stands out to me—the woman with the issue of blood.
As someone who also struggles with chronic challenges, I often wish that I could be healed instantly, like this faithful woman was after she touched the hem of His garment.
I’ve always believed I will have my touching-the-hem-of-His-garment moment when everything will be made right, even if it’s not in this life.
But Elder Kearon’s words gave me a different perspective: “Receive your new beginning, even today, right now. … [Christ] is the Beginning and the End—the end of our shame and suffering and the beginning of a new life in Him, letting us receive His grace, leave the past behind, and begin again with a new dawn, as many times as we need.”
I don’t need to wait for a day in the unknown future when everything will make sense and all challenges will be resolved. I can reach for Him right now.
To me, His light is like the golden rays of the sun in autumn. When I reach for Him, whether it be through faith, worshipping in His house, serving others, reading His words, and being the best disciple I can, every season can be one of change, transformation, letting go, and becoming “a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17) through Him.