Seriously.. you don’t have to be on all of the time. Lately I’ve been traveling more than usual and it has me a bit frazzled. My family has been going through some stuff and I’m out of my routine, tired, and not eating the best. I have gone days at a time without so much as glancing at Insta or Facebook, yet I call myself a blogger... But guess what?! My blog is better for it and so are you!
You don’t want to read the blog of a worn out, negative, grouchy woman, so why would I force myself to be “on” when that’s really not what I’m feeling?! That goes for you too. Your friends, family, and coworkers, like being around you more when you are rested and taking care of yourself mentally.
Our culture is by far, a culture where bigger is better and you better be going for more money, more things, check the boxes on all of the things, and you best keep your schedule full to the brim. The problem with this, is that we burn out so fast. We go from energetic and passionate about life to a dull robot pretty quick. By doing this, we lose out on the intentionality God created us for.
What if by filling your schedule and constantly doing all of the things, you are actually missing God's calling on your life? What if, by taking a break, centering your focus on Christ, resting, and getting away from the stressors in your life, you actually have a bigger impact? The goal is to serve God, not impress people anyway right?! Listen to what God tells us...
"God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."
Psalm 46:1-3,10-11
Friend, you don't need permission, but I am here to give it to you anyway, you can slow down. Take time to smell the roses as they say, or the pine trees this time of year ;)
Take a few hours to go visit a friend or play with your kids. Go for an extra long walk or curl up by the fire with a good book. Leave the dirty dishes and pile of laundry, they're not going anywhere, and take some time to hit pause.
There's a story in the bible I always have to go back to. A story of two women, Mary and Martha. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and Martha made food for him. Coming from a long line of Martha's this story is hard for me, but check out what Jesus said:
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42
So friend, especially in this season, take a break. Whether you break from social media like I have, take a break from your busy schedule, or even take a day off of work to rest, may we all learn to sit at the feet of Jesus a bit more often. I have wrestled with this as I am working full time, juggling a full schedule outside of work, and trying to build a blog, but I have realized, as we learn to give our time to God and not the world, God will surely bless our time.
Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Proverbs 3:9-10
Everything we have is a gift! In this season of giving, let's be sure we are gifting our time as well!
Advent and Christmas are my favorite time of the year! My prayer for you is that you are able to enjoy the time with family and friends and really press into the meaning of it all!
xo,
Sara
P.s. Just to encourage y'all a bit further, and to show I practice what I write, this past weekend, I scratched my entire To-Do list to go on a trail ride both Saturday and Sunday! It was a much needed break and spending some quality time with good people was just what I was needing.
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