What to Do When You Feel Depleted - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - July 7, 2025

“I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty.” Ruth 1:21

I don’t know about you, but there are many mornings I get up, read scripture, shower while jamming to a mix of worship/80s/90s/country music, get all dolled up, and walk out the door full of optimism and gratitude, only to return to my bed hours later feeling defeated, exhausted, and done. I’ve given my heart, time, energy, and patience to my work, children, home, and husband, and a lot of times my tanks are absolutely left with not a drop to spare by the time my head hits the pillow.

In Ruth 1, Naomi left Bethlehem for Moab with her husband and two sons by her side. Around ten years later, she returned to the land of her people a widow and childless. She was heartbroken, bitter, and tells us in verse 21 that the Lord brought her home “empty.” 

While I haven’t lost my husband or children (by God’s grace), I can empathize with Naomi feeling empty, meaning she felt she had “no value or purpose.” At the end of those hard days, I’m left wondering how in the world, why in the world, the Lord would use me. By that time, any “fruit” I have left hanging is most definitely rotten. There usually isn’t an ounce of salt left, and my light is well-hidden from sight. 

This world will take and take until you have nothing more to give, and we will all find ourselves in those places of emptiness. The challenge is what we do to try to fill the void, though. Will we seek the Lord and wait patiently for His plan? Or will we look to other people or things of this world for a temporary fix? 

My sweet friends, If you have ever left a “place” full, only to return empty, with a void in your heart, here is a list of verses to help encourage you, lift your spirits, and turn your focus to being filled by the Lord alone:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. - Romans 15:13 

Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything. - Colossians 2:9-10 

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28 

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:10

He is before all things and in Him all things hold together. - Colossians 1:17

Do you know the beautiful part about emptiness? When you have nothing left, there is nothing left to do but be refilled. And the only place, the only person, who can fill you in a life-giving way is Jesus. Don’t lean on your own strength, don’t search for the temporary highs of this world, and don’t look for another earthly person to fill the void, my sweet friends. Just look to Jesus.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/eggeeggjiew

Maggie Meadows Cooper is a wife, mom, educator, author, and blogger with a longing for women to grow a heart for Jesus and others. She is the author of the children’s book “Bumper” and blogs at The Little Moments about what the Lord is teaching her through her children and everyday life. She contributes to Blogs by Christian Women, Devotional Diva, She Disciples, and Connecting Ministries. An educator with an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University (War Eagle!), she has twenty years of experience working with young children. She loves all things chocolate, real Coca-Cola, and lives with her husband, three children, and two rambunctious dogs in Opelika, Alabama.

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If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.

Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.

Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.

I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!