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iQuestions Faculty, Dr. John Trent 
 
 
Question: 
 
I'm emotionally and spiritually exhausted. How did I get here and how 
do I get out? 
 
Answer: 
 
Clicking on this question I got to tell you, I’ve probably been where 
you’re at, if you’re exhausted physically and emotionally and 
spiritually.  
 
I can remember one time I got through speaking at a conference and I 
was traveling non-stop. Our kids were in junior high, so it was raging 
hormones with the girls. I was so tied up in knots. 
 
I remember walking out to the parking lot, and I was so exhausted 
and so worn-out, the next thing I remember is waking up in an 
ambulance. I had literally passed out and fell face-first on the 
concrete. I broke my nose, again.  
 
As I began to reflect on what was going on in my life, I began to 
realize something. And here it is: this may not look like a dangerous 
creature, but you need to fear the rabbit.  
 
If you’re exhausted emotionally and spiritually, then I can almost 
guarantee you that you’re chasing after, like I was, a skinny rabbit. 
 
Now what do I mean by a skinny rabbit? A skinny rabbit is something 
that excites the chase. It gets you pursuing it, and you think, “If this 
person is everything, and if I just land this person in a relationship—“ 
 
 
 
All the sudden maybe you do get there and you realize that wasn’t 
fulfillment. Or maybe you think, “It’s that career. If I could just get 
that promotion . . . .”  
 
And so we chase after that. We get the promotion and we realize that 
doesn’t fill up our life or heart.  
 
I had the great honor and privilege of sitting for 27 hours in a room 
with an Academy Award and with an Academy Award winner. After this 
person had chased after that—you wouldn’t think that an Academy 
Award is a skinny rabbit—but after they had won this award that would 
give them national fame and lots of recognition and lots of money, 
you’d think “That’s going to fulfill you, isn’t it?”  
 
Guess what they discovered. They discovered an Academy Award is a 
skinny rabbit. 
 
So if you’re emotionally and spiritually exhausted, ask yourself the 
question: “What have I been chasing after?”  
 
Is it a skinny rabbit? There’s no meat on the bones. It’s not leading 
you to more purpose and more rest; it’s actually taking life from you.  
 
Don’t chase after those skinny rabbits.  
Trent -2- 
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