I want to be clear about my posture from the beginning: Paying attention is not the same as declaring conclusions. But refusing to ask questions simply because they are uncomfortable is not discernment either.

That tension is exactly why I’m paying attention to Candace Owens and the questions she has raised surrounding the death of Charlie Kirk.

Candace has been explicit that…

Before the lights, before the music, before the gatherings and the noise—there was a child placed gently into a manger. A Savior entering the world quietly, without spectacle, without comfort, without applause. And every year, we pause not just to celebrate that He was born, but to remember why He came…

Sarah and Hagar share one of the most complicated, uncomfortable, and human stories in Scripture. There are no neat edges here. No one is perfectly right. No one is completely wrong. There is pain, jealousy, power imbalance, longing, obedience, impatience, and deep hurt.

And yet…

Some days, faith feels steady and familiar. Other days, it feels like you’re just trying to make it through without unraveling. And if you’re honest, the hard days are the ones that bring the most guilt. Because somewhere along the way, many Christian women absorbed the message that loving Jesus should make life feel lighter, more peaceful, more joyful, more manageable. So when the hard days show up anyway, it can feel like a personal failure.

But here’s the truth…

There’s a kind of burnout that doesn’t look like chaos. It looks like showing up anyway. Serving anyway. Smiling anyway. Praying anyway. It looks like being the woman everyone describes as “so strong,” while privately feeling like you’re running on fumes.

And the hardest part? A lot of Christian women don’t even call it burnout—because it doesn’t feel “bad enough,” or because they’re afraid it sounds ungrateful. So they keep going. Quietly. Faithfully. Exhaustedly. If that’s you…

There’s a specific kind of exhaustion that doesn’t come from doing too little, it comes from caring deeply for a very long time. You love God. You believe. You’re not walking away.

But emotionally? You’re tired. Not “I need a nap” tired. Not “I need a vacation” tired. The kind of tired that settles into your chest. The kind that makes you quieter in prayer. The kind that makes opening your Bible feel heavy instead of comforting.

If that’s where you are, let’s name something clearly: Loving God does not make you immune to emotional exhaustion…

There are seasons when opening the Bible feels heavy instead of hopeful. You still believe. You still love God. But the energy to try feels gone. Spiritual burnout doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like silence. Like scrolling instead of praying. Like avoiding Scripture because you don’t want to feel guilty for not feeling anything. If that’s where you are right now, this isn’t a call to “do more.” It’s an invitation to…