Have you ever tried to serve, grow, or lead while spiritually running on empty? In this soul-stirring episode of Born to be a Butterfly, Nina Pajonas shares how a season of burnout—triggered by both physical and emotional exhaustion—led her to a powerful, unexpected breakthrough through God’s restoration.

🦋 Discover why restoration is the first step toward transformation

🦋 Learn to identify spiritual burnout and what it reveals about your soul

🦋 Explore how trauma—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—requires intentional rest and healing

🦋 Hear Nina’s personal story of being forced to pause and how God used it to rebuild her

🦋 Take away 3 practical, biblical steps to invite restoration into your daily life

This is your reminder that you don’t have to push through the pain alone. God’s plan for you includes rest, recovery, and, ultimately, revival. Tune in and find the encouragement you didn’t know you needed.

If today’s message spoke to you, please share it with a friend and follow Born to be a Butterfly so you never miss an episode. 

💜 Order Nina’s book Born to Be a Butterfly on Amazon and continue your healing journey.

💌 Contact Nina at ninapajonas@gmail.com today! 

Remember, the Lord can turn your wounds into wings—you were Born to be a Butterfly!

Born to be a Butterfly © 2025 Nina Pajonas All rights reserved. The content of this podcast is for informational and inspirational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. For the full disclaimer, visit ⁠ninapajonas.com.

at around 11pm,

I went to the hospital.

I was in an overwhelming amount of pain and I had no idea what was wrong with me.

While I was in the er,

they did some imaging and they discovered that it was my gallbladder.

That's when they decided to perform emergency surgery.

I ended up being in the hospital for four days.

The night before I was to go home,

I was lying in the hospital bed in the dark.

I had just finished praying about 20 minutes earlier when I felt the presence of the Lord all around me.

It was like a spiritual blanket had been laid over me.

I didn't move.

I didn't need to.

I was completely still and I felt completely safe.

Then there was a knock on my hospital door.

I called out, come in.

And a male nurse walked in.

He asked how I was doing,

and I told him I was fine.

Then he said something I'll never forget forget.

He said,

I was standing in the hallway and I felt this overwhelming sense of peace.

And I realized that it was coming from your room.

Why does it feel so peaceful in here?

I smiled and said,

it's God.

And he said, oh my God.

And I started laughing and I said,

exactly.

Then he asked if he could sit down, and I said, of course.

The way he dropped into the chair,

it was like someone who had finally put down something heavy.

I could see it on his face.

His whole demeanor shifted from exhaustion to relief.

We didn't speak another word while he sat there for a few minutes.

Then he got up,

he thanked me,

and he said he had to get back to work.

And that's when I told him that he was welcome to come back if he wanted to.

In that moment,

God provided rest and peace for both of us simultaneously.

As I laid in that hospital bed,

I had so much time to think.

And God had a lot to say.

He used that time with me to bring reflection,

conviction, and clarity.

At one point, I had thought about reaching out to my friends to let them know where I was.

But the Holy Spirit convicted me not to.

It became clear to me very quickly that God wanted me all to himself.

And now when I look back,

I understand why.

The Lord was about to close a very long chapter in my life.

And he was about to begin a brand new one.

Welcome to Born to Be a Butterfly,

where we embrace healing and growth in Christ so that we can experience true transformation.

My name is Nina Pajonis, and I pray that today's episode ministers to you.

As children of Christ,

we know that we are called to fulfill the plans that God has for our lives.

And we also know that in order to do that, we must be transformed.

However,

sometimes we can overlook an important part of the equation.

We can overlook the fact that before our transformation in Christ,

we must first seek restoration from Christ.

Otherwise, it's like running a race with a broken leg.

Ultimately,

it's futile.

We're never going to cross the finish line if we're broken.

We can't declare victory if we're limping along,

spiritually wounded.

We cannot skip spiritual steps on our journeys with Jesus if we're aspiring to make substantial progress,

or if we want to mature so that we can be productive in the plans that Christ has for our lives.

I can say this because in my own life,

at times I have attempted to put the cart before the horse,

and it has been to my detriment.

So today I want to focus on restoration because it's an essential part of our walk with the Lord.

Think about how many times we've asked God to take us to the next level while quietly neglecting the healing that still needed to take place inside of us.

We long for elevation without preparation.

If we rush into our calling without tending to our wounds,

we'll bleed all over the very thing that God meant for us to build.

And that's not the fruit of maturity.

That is spiritual burnout in disguise.

Imagine trying to drive our cars without ever stopping to refuel at the gas station.

We wouldn't go very far for very long, would we?

Eventually we would try to drive the car,

but we wouldn't be able to because we hadn't replenished what had been depleted.

I believe it could be the same way for us spiritually.

But the scary part is that we don't always realize that we're running on empty.

Sometimes we keep on running as if on autopilot,

because we fail to heed the warning signs that we are exhausted.

And the truth is,

our warning signs are often subtle.

Maybe you're not praying like you used to.

Maybe your patience has worn thin.

Maybe you're getting angry more often.

Perhaps you're suddenly comparing yourself to others when you hadn't struggled with that before.

These are all indicators.

They're like lights blinking on our spiritual dashboards.

That restoration is overdue.

But if we're not still enough to notice,

we'll keep speeding past every pit stop God gently tries to offer us.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Our Lord and Savior tells us to come to him when we are weary so that he can provide us with rest.

Our struggles and the emotions that come with them are not unfamiliar to Jesus,

and He is the only one who is able to overcome them.

Unfortunately,

we will all endure moments or seasons of great sorrow and anxiety,

or great stress and aggravation,

as that's just a part of life.

However,

those times can be dangerous if we fail to realize or acknowledge that our souls are tired.

In those circumstances,

our vulnerability can make us a target for the enemy.

He can exploit our weaknesses and use them as weapons of warfare,

and we can easily become his victims.

That's why we need to accept the invitation to seek shelter with the Most High so that he can rejuvenate our souls.

Let's also remember that restoration becomes especially vital after a season of trauma.

Whether it's physical, emotional, or spiritual,

some of us are walking around carrying unresolved pain from past experiences.

And yes, you're trying to heal,

but you're not quite yet whole,

and you have to give yourself time to get there.

You could be physically exhausted from illness, or you're weary from betrayal and grief,

or maybe it's burnout because you've been running so hard for so long and you don't know how you're going to even catch your breath.

Maybe you're just exhausted from trying to do too much,

for trying to be too much.

Whatever it is that you're dealing with,

if it was traumatic in any way,

shape, or form,

it will leave a mark.

And yes, we're walking through it. And yes, we're healing together as sisters of Christ. But it doesn't mean that you're not supposed to spend time in solitude with your Savior.

It doesn't mean that you're not supposed to seek out extra love from the Lord. And when I say extra love, I don't mean that he's going to love you any more today than he did yesterday, because he never does.

But if you spend time in his presence,

you'll feel more of his love because you gave yourself time to so often our first instinct is to push forward,

to get back to work, to move on,

to serve others.

But without allowing God to restore us from that trauma,

we risk layering new responsibilities on top of old wounds.

Restoration is God's way of repairing what life,

loss, and hardship have taken.

He doesn't just want us to survive our trials,

he wants to restore us after them.

I believe this is a crucial topic because I lived Psalm 23 when I was in that hospital bed,

when God forced me into that season of restoration towards the end of last year.

And let me tell you something.

That physical ailment,

that's not what exhausted me.

That was just the end of a long journey of exhaustion.

I had never written a book prior.

I knew nothing about the publishing process.

There was so much that was demanded of me,

so many things that I didn't even know were necessary.

I learned all these things on the fly as I was going. It was one thing after another,

and I just. I had no help.

Nobody else had done it. Nobody else that I knew had done it.

So I was figuring it out as I went along,

and it was exhausting.

I loved the journey. Trust me, I loved it because I learned so much.

Not just about the book publishing process, not just about editing a book or creating a cover for a book or all the other things I learned along the way. I'm talking about the things I learned about myself.

But it was tiring.

It was tiring.

whether I realized it or not,

I was running on empty.

I was spiritually spent.

And then before I knew it, I landed in the hospital.

And when the surgeon took a look at my gallbladder, she said, how could you not have come to the hospital sooner?

Your gallbladder was in horrible condition.

It literally fell apart in her hands after she took it out of my body.

That's how infected it was.

I'm not saying this to gross you out. I'm not saying this to be an alarmist. I'm saying this because that's what the doctor told me.

And she said, didn't you feel any pain?

And I said, well, yeah,

a few times. It was pretty bad. But eventually it went away. So I ignored it.

As soon as I said that to her,

the surgeon looked at me like I had three heads.

And I can't blame her,

because that's really,

really foolish.

But isn't that what we do?

Don't we do that,

especially as women?

Don't we have the horrible habit of putting ourselves on the back burner time and time again?

We do it because that's our heart.

We put people before ourselves. We love our children, our husbands, our family, our friends. We're caretakers by nature, and we just forget to take care of ourselves.

And if we don't forget,

we just say, well,

I'll get to me later.

And we can't do that.

Not long term, anyway.

It's going to catch up to us eventually. And I'm telling you because it caught up to me last year.

And do you want to know why?

I was laying in that hospital bed for four days.

I was on intravenous antibiotics the entire time.

That's how serious the situation was.

My healing took so much longer because I had been ignoring my physical needs for so long.

But if I was to be honest with myself, I had also been ignoring my emotional needs.

But I'm beyond grateful that I had those four very special days with the Lord in the hospital.

I'm happy because it brought me back to my senses.

It forced me to reevaluate certain relationships and situations,

and it forced me to set boundaries that I never had before.

Ultimately, it brought me to a new level of spiritual maturity.

But I needed restoration before I could get there.

God knew that I was tired because he was fully aware of all the other things that were transpiring in my life.

So he took matters into his own hands.

He made me lie down in green pastures.

For me,

the beauty of being put in such a posture was the fact that I had so much more time to commune with him.

And it gave me so much more time to experience that extraordinary peace that only the Lord can provide.

And when I got back on my feet,

I felt empowered once again to do the work that he's called me to do.

And about three months later,

I started this podcast.

I am so grateful that the Lord forced me to rest because he refreshed my soul.

Ultimately, I came to realize that he was not only restoring me,

but he was protecting me from the enemy.

Because think about it, ladies.

When are we the most vulnerable?

When we're tired and the enemy knows that.

So the enemy will tell us to rush.

He wants us to keep going because he wants us to crash.

He does not want us running to Christ.

The enemy wants us to run right into a brick wall. Wall. Spiritually and emotionally,

what we need to understand is that God will sometimes interrupt our plans to protect our purpose.

The interruption may not feel like a blessing at the time.

It might actually feel like a loss.

It might feel like a major disappointment or even a punishment.

But when you look back,

you'll see that his mercy was written all over it.

The Lord doesn't just restore us for the sake of comfort.

He restores us because he knows how vital our wholeness is to our calling.

Without restoration, we minister half heartedly.

We parent with frustration.

We love others from a deficit.

But when God restores us,

he fills us to overflow and it is from that overflow that true ministry begins.

And now I'm going to Refer to Psalms 23:1 3 NIV the Lord is my shepherd.

I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.

We are all aware that transformation is a continuous process,

but so is restoration.

We all understand that we grow in increments but struggle to acknowledge that we get tired periodically during our journeys.

It shouldn't take a monumental tragedy for us to surrender our burdens to our Lord and Savior.

We cannot afford to be fooled.

Small aggravations and frustrations can pile up quickly and cause big issues.

In fact, it's the minor yet constant erosion of our spiritual strength that can be the most dangerous,

because it's the hardest to discern.

If we are seeking restoration appropriately,

we should seek it as needed.

And if we're being honest with ourselves, that's probably pretty often.

If we want to experience transformation fully so that we can fulfill the plans and purpose that God has for our lives,

we must prioritize restoration consistently.

And now I'll refer to 1 Peter 5:10 NIV and the God of all grace,

who called you to his eternal glory in Christ after you have suffered a little while,

will Himself restore you and make you strong,

firm, and steadfast.

We often focus on the glory part of that verse,

but don't miss what comes before it after you have suffered a little while.

Restoration often follows struggle,

not because God delights in our pain, but because but because pain brings to the surface what we've been hiding or suppressing.

It makes our need for God undeniable.

And when we surrender,

when we cry out to him in prayer,

that's when healing begins.

And now I'd like to discuss three practical steps for seeking restoration.

1.

Set aside intentional,

uninterrupted time to be with God without an agenda.

Even 10 to 15 minutes a day in silence,

journaling, or simply sitting in his presence can begin the process of restoration.

This isn't about checking a box.

It's about opening your heart to receive his guidance,

to feel his peace and his presence.

2.

Restoration requires release.

Whether it's fear,

disappointment,

resentment, or fatigue.

Bring it to God.

Be honest in prayer.

Restoration begins when we stop pretending we're okay and allow God into our deepest and darkest places.

3.

Let God minister to you through scripture and worship.

Read restorative passages like Psalm 23,

When our minds are filled with truth,

our souls begin to heal.

And now I have a reflection question that I would like you to ponder and pray over.

What have you been carrying that God is calling you to lay down so that he can restore your soul?

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father,

thank you for being the God who restores you. See our weariness and you meet us with compassion.

You are not only our shepherd,

you are also our healer and our comforter.

Lord, help us to slow down and recognize when we're running on empty.

Give us the courage to surrender what's heavy and the wisdom to pause when needed.

Restore us in mind,

body and spirit so that we could continue walking in the purpose that you have set before us.

In the most mighty and beautiful name of Jesus.

Amen.

If today's episode ministered to you,

please share it with a friend and follow Born to Be a Butterfly so that you never miss an episode.

If you're ready to dive deeper and learn more about my journey of healing and transformation,

you can get my book From Broken to Butterfly on Amazon.

If you have any questions or want to connect,

Please send me a DM on Instagram at @Born to Be a Butterfly or email me at nina@pajonas@gmail.com. As always, you'll be able to find my email address in the episode description.

Until next time,

remember,

the Lord can turn your wounds into wings.

You were born to be a butterfly.