246. You Were Made for More Than Running on Empty
You no longer need to live this way.
If you’ve been feeling mentally, emotionally, or spiritually drained, this episode will meet you right where you are. Julie shares how to recognize when you’re running on empty and reminds you that true renewal comes not from doing more—but from returning to Jesus, your source of fullness. Join Abundant Life Mentor, Julie Lefebure, each Tuesday as she offers real encouragement for your real life right now through a fresh, hope-filled perspective, a lighthearted inspiration, and Biblical insights. Each episode will lift your spirits and equip you to be a light in this world. Find extra encouragement at julielefebure.com/resources/.
If you’ve been feeling mentally, emotionally, or spiritually drained, this episode will meet you right where you are. Julie shares how to recognize when you’re running on empty and reminds you that true renewal comes not from doing more—but from returning to Jesus, your source of fullness. Join Abundant Life Mentor, Julie Lefebure, each Tuesday as she offers real encouragement for your real life right now through a fresh, hope-filled perspective, a lighthearted inspiration, and Biblical insights. Each episode will lift your spirits and equip you to be a light in this world. Find extra encouragement at julielefebure.com/resources/.
- encouragement
- real life
- women
- hope
- abundant life
- You Were Made for More
- Made for More
- Christian
- inspiration
- Christian women
In this episode of Encouragement for Real Life, Julie continues the You Were Made for More series by addressing a struggle many women quietly carry—feeling like they’re constantly running on empty.
This isn’t just physical exhaustion. It’s a deeper kind of tired—mental, emotional, and spiritual—where no amount of rest seems to refill what’s been depleted. Julie gently helps listeners recognize what running on empty can look like, and it may not be what we think.
She explains that many of us have unknowingly adopted patterns that keep us depleted—pushing through instead of pausing, equating productivity with purpose, and believing rest must be earned. Over time, this becomes our normal. But it was never God’s design.
Drawing from Matthew 11, Julie reminds us that Jesus doesn’t ask us to carry everything on our own. Instead, He invites us to come to Him—to experience real rest and “the unforced rhythms of grace.”
Through a personal story of burnout during a busy and emotional season, Julie shares how she realized she had been trying to pour from an empty place. Using the powerful image of a pitcher, she explains that we cannot keep pouring out if we become empty. The solution isn’t to do less—it’s to return to our Source.
This episode is an invitation to stop striving and start reconnecting. True rest isn’t just stopping—it’s being refilled by Jesus.
If you’ve been feeling depleted, discouraged, or disconnected, this is a reminder: you don’t have to keep living this way.
You were made for more than running on empty.
Links:
- Last week's episode: 245. You Were Made for More Than Just Getting Through the Day
- Matthew 11:28-30 MSG
- Julie's new devotional, Made for More, releases today! Find it on Amazon or on her website
- Stay encouraged through Julie's free Resource Library
- Find the clarity, courage, and confident you've been looking for in Julie's Abundant Life Mentoring
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