“I Can’t Do This”: Finding Strength When Life Feels Too Heavy

There comes a moment in every journey where the weight of responsibility feels like a burden too heavy to carry. For many single mothers, that moment doesn’t ask for permission—it barges in, uninvited and overwhelming. Sometimes it’s in the quiet chaos of an ordinary night. Your toddler has a fever and you can’t find back up for daycare tomorrow. Your teenager forgot to tell you he needs money for a field trip and payroll is not until next week. The sink is still full of dishes. Dinner was whatever you could pull together, (we call this YOYO at our house, You’re On Your Own!!).  Your inbox is full. Your gas tank is low. Your patience is thin.

You walk into the hallway, look at the scattered shoes and laundry piles, and lean against the wall—exhausted, both mentally and physically. You need a break. A miracle. Something. Anything.

You begin to cry. It’s not a tantrum. It’s not even self-pity. It's not because you’re weak, but because you’ve been strong for so long. Strong for the kids. Strong for the bills. Strong for the image you're trying to hold together while everything feels like it is silently unraveling at the seams. You think to yourself, “I can’t do this.” You feel like you're failing and falling behind in every area of life. You feel like everyone needs something from you—and there’s just not enough of you to give.

You want to scream but you can’t. You want to pray but you don’t even know what to ask for. It’s all you can do to muster up a raw, weary whisper; a whisper of surrender that rises from a soul that’s been holding it all together for too long. But even this quiet whisper is enough to invite God in:

 “God, I need You to help me. I can’t do it alone.”

It’s in these moments, in this stillness, where you’ll feel a voice from heaven. For me, it’s never a dramatic voice, but a soft surge of peace. It’s a kind and calming voice that reminds me who I am and who walks beside me. An encouraging voice that pulls me up from the floor, one breath at a time. A familiar voice telling me that I don’t have to carry it all in my own strength.

It was in these moments where I learned that I didn’t have to be perfect—I just had to keep going, keep showing up, and keep trusting that God would fill in the gaps.

Have I had only one “I can’t do this” moment? Absolutely not! I have them often, but I no longer fear them because I know in the sacred moment of surrender, strength begins to rise. Not because my situation suddenly changes, but because my perspective does. Does it happen immediately? Again, no. Sometimes it takes days of stillness and solitude to refresh. 

Daily remind yourself that every “I can’t” is met by a God who can.Every breakdown will reveal a breakthrough. Every low will strengthen the foundation you’re building not just for yourself —but for your children, and your children’s children. 

I realize that grace is not given to those who have it all together—but to those who admit they don’t. And with every new day, I find just enough strength to try again. To love again. To lead again. 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

To every mother feeling overwhelmed: You are not failing, you are fighting. You are building something beautiful. You are rising—one prayer, one step, one day at a time. So keep showing up and give yourself some grace. This persistence is what will make you powerful. 

XOXO,

Jess