When Apathy Steals Your Joy and How to Fight Back - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - February 19, 2026
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).
For a while now I have been struggling with apathy. While I’m not sure if this is due to my depression or just generally being burned out, it has affected my life in many ways. I no longer find anything as exciting or fun, and I don’t look forward to the days to come. This is partly due to being depressed and partly due to struggling with chronic illnesses. My life has become weekly doctor appointments, consultations, and talks of surgery.
While I see everyone around me “living the dream,” I’m living a nightmare. Having an autoimmune disease is something I wish no one had to go through. Ever since I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, my life has become smaller and smaller. Without a doubt, doctor visits could take up my entire week. While I wish this wasn’t my reality, it is something I still have to cope with each day.
I think my sister was the first person to notice my apathy because she noticed I was not as talkative as normal one day. Normally I would update her when I was driving, but at some point, I stopped talking. I didn’t feel there was a point to talk because nothing mattered.
Now, I think this mentality is something that has been festering in me for a while now. Due to never being seen as interesting and being bullied by “friends,” I have often just wanted to give up on life. Nothing is going in my favor, so why even try? I don’t want to leave my room, much less do anything else.
Apathy has the capacity to completely take us over. Whenever I see something happening, I automatically think, “not my problem.” I believe this comes from nobody helping me when I was in need of support. Due to the hatred and bitterness of others, I became apathetic to everything around me. While I cannot say I’m on the other side of this situation, I have been going to God and asking for His healing.
Ultimately, I’m apathetic because nobody has cared for so long. I’ve been told by trusted individuals that I’m not good enough, I’ll never make it in life, and that I’m a failure. These comments will never fully heal, but I know God can help the pain lighten. I fear that I will carry around these wounds for the rest of my life, however, I trust God will make it less severe.
The Apostle Paul tells us, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). As Paul says here, we need to be careful how we live. We don’t need to live unwisely, but rather, we need to live wisely and make the most of every opportunity. If we have a heart of apathy, how are we going to do this? Every day will just be a matter of making it through rather than making a difference.
While I would like to give you some sort of spiritual revelation when it comes to apathy, I cannot. I believe God has given us doctors, therapists, and medicine to help us when we are struggling. Sometimes just trying to make changes in our own life is not enough. We need professionals to help us and support us on our healing journey. God has provided these individuals and resources into our life for a reason, and we would be wise to take hold of them.
If we continue to be apathetic and indifferent to life and the cause of Christ, we will not be faithful followers of Jesus. This is what makes me want to reach out for support and experience the healing that I need. Although apathy can feel like a type of armor, it is actually just weighing us down. Jesus can help us heal, and He will provide the necessary resources that we need.
“Dear Jesus, apathy has hit me hard. Due to my own life circumstances, I don’t feel very optimistic about life. I don’t want to do anything anymore. I feel everyone else is getting everything they could ever want while I don’t even have what I need. Please change my heart from a state of apathy to a state of interest, intention, and purpose. I trust You to bring me the healing that I need. I give You all the praise and glory, Lord. Continue to surround me with Your grace. Amen.”
Photo credit: Getty Images/Inside Creative House
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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!
