Reader,
This week is Spring Break—a week I had been looking forward to as my “get everything done” week. With time off from preschool teaching, I planned to write this blog post, create weeks of social media content, and prepare PR letters and boxes for my book, The Work in the Waiting. I knew I would finally have the space to accomplish it all. Yet here I am, teary-eyed on the very first day, feeling tired and unmotivated to write… to work at all. It is difficult to admit this. I feel guilty for feeling this way, for writing is something I genuinely love—it often refreshes me and allows the Lord to reveal truth through His Word. I know the work I planned is meaningful. And yet, despite all of that, my mind and body are asking for something I struggle to truly give: rest.
Rest has been a recurring theme in my life lately. This morning, I was led to reflect on 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 in a new way, which says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” For so long, I interpreted these verses primarily through the lens of physical health (what you eat and exercise). Today, the Lord opened my eyes to the truth of how caring for my temple also means resting physically and mentally.
It is hard to receive rest as a gift, when thoughts label it as a missed opportunity. Maybe you have had this experience too, reader. A moment to pause and rest, and then, your mind fills with thoughts along the lines of, “You could be doing ____,” or “You should be doing ____.” We live in a culture that praises constant productivity, even in seasons meant for rest. The truth is rest is not laziness. Not every moment is meant to be productive. Some moments are meant to be about being present and enjoying life beyond work.
This is the lesson I am slowly learning: I can trust the Lord not only with what I accomplish, but also with what I leave undone. In this season, caring for the life the Lord has given me looks less like striving and more like surrender. It means accepting that I may not (or cannot) complete everything on my timeline—and choosing to believe and remember that the Lord’s timing is good and perfect.
So, if you find yourself in a similar place: unmotivated, overwhelmed, or even disconnected from things you once loved, know this: the Lord is not asking you to push through exhaustion just to prove your faithfulness. He may be inviting you to pause, reset, and rest with Him. As for me, I am choosing to release the pressure to accomplish everything I planned for this week. I am choosing to trust the Lord to guide me to complete what truly needs to be done and to embrace rest as part of obedience to Him.
CHALLENGE: This week, I challenge you to intentionally choose rest in one area of your life without guilt.
Maybe that means stepping away from your to-do list for an evening. Maybe it is saying no to something that can wait. Or maybe it is simply sitting with the Lord in stillness instead of striving for productivity.
All Bible verses are from Holy Bible: English Standard Version