I've been tired all my life. I'm not tired because I'm lazy, not eating right, or not praying enough. I'm tired because I have a rare type of anemia.

In a calling that glorifies boundless energy and charisma, I must confess to more than a few feelings of personal inadequacy. Over the years, though, God has given me a new perspective on my weak hemoglobin: it just may be a strength.

Some time ago I gave up trying to be like my high-octane brethren and started to grapple with what it means to be me, and more specifically, what it means to be tired. I've birthed a kind of fatigue theology. I've seen surprising victories won from my personal battle with tiredness. So here they are: the good things fatigue brings to my life and ministry.

Fatigue softens my soul

My soul often resembles soil in need of a good upturning. Having lived in the prairies and southwest, I have seen some of God's most stubborn soils. When we garden at my house, we rent a jackhammer (no fooling) to break up the dirt. It ...