Hey y’all. I just got back from an incredible adventure exploring Scotland, London and Germany! WOW! Do we live in a beautiful world! Now I am back in England for the rest of the month.
Since I’ve been here I’ve been able to rest and reflect on the last few years of my life. I’ve also had plenty of time and room to breathe and rest. I never thought I would say that or even do that, but let me tell you, it has been so refreshing in a way I never thought would be possible.
Life isn’t so face paced over here, which I think has taught me some valuable lessons as I’ve had some time to slow down and do some deep soul searching. I know my whole “#dostuff” life is a great motivation to get up and live an exciting life, but sometimes “doing stuff” needs to take a break so that we can just “be stuff”.
I think I could easily be the first person to relate to being busy ALL the time and going 100 mph, 24/7. Our society measures the success of our day by how much we accomplish. The more we can cram into one 24 hour period, the more successful we are. We’ve created a culture of instant gratification and don’t have the patience to watch things bloom and grow into fruition. We want things now and we want them quick so we can move on to the next thing on our list and get more done that day.
By glorifying this lifestyle we are setting a bar that is impossible to reach and leaves people feeling worthless, discouraged and burnt out. This, my friends, is not how life was intended to be lived.
When God created the world, He could have easily done it in 1 day. He could have even done it in one snap of His fingers. But He didn’t. He made it in 6 days and then on the 7th He rested. He RESTED. The God who created this world, who is almighty and all powerful, chose to spend a day of REST. Wow. If He thought rest was important, how much more do you think it’s important for us to rest?
We were not created to work all the time. We were created to live. When you find our worth in how much you accomplish or how much you “do” you end up feeling dry because, let’s face it, there are going to be days when you simply can’t do anymore. You are not perfect and never will be! That’s why Jesus came to save you because He knew you couldn’t do it on your own.
There is absolutely no way you can earn God’s love or earn more worth as a person by “doing” more. Simply “being” who you are is enough to accomplish that. You can try all your life to go faster, rush through things, make more lists, do more, but in the end, it’s all a waste because that doesn’t determine success.
I want to encourage you to take time to rest, and truly rest. Give your body a break from the endless amounts of stress, anxiety and work you implode on it. Allow your body to rejuvenate and recharge so you can keep shining your light in the world.
I’ve realized that going 100 mph the last 5 years didn’t do a whole lot besides leave me feeling tired, dry and empty. I didn’t listen to my body and I pushed it past it’s limit. The consequences were depression, feelings of worthlessness and loads of stress and anxiety that caused all sorts of health problems. I never thought that could happen to a 19 year old!
What you do in life is great, but who you are is even more important. If we burn our bodies by working them to death, we will miss out on the beautiful soul that lives inside. My New Year’s Resolution this year is to be content “being” and not have anxiety when I’m not “doing” something. I will intentionally plan parts of my day to simply do nothing but “be”.
My worth in life doesn’t come from the amount of things I do, but who I am in Christ. He says that who I am right now, is enough already. Don’t feel guilty by taking a break. TAKE A BREAK! You deserve it! We all do! Intentionally plan times to rest and refuel yourself and be joyful in those moments. You are so valuable someone would die to save you. So let yourself rest because someone already did. His name is Jesus.
Go be stuff.
Love always,
Nicole #dostuff #bestuff
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