Life rarely seems to slow down.

I know how a “normal” day goes. You wake up, and your first conscious thought to start off the day is, “What all do I need to do today?” Before you’re even out of bed, you have a to-do list with items outweighing the time you have to do them.

You hit the day running at break-neck speed. On good days, you pause to eat. On not so good days, you barely have time to catch your breath, let alone sit down to a meal.

The end of the day rolls around, but you have such little energy left over that all you can do is collapse into bed. Your alarm will go off too soon, and the cycle starts again.

You catch yourself wondering, “When will I ever find time for myself? When do I get a break?”

I know this pattern well. This was the kind of pace I kept as a working mother. Now, as an empty-nester, I’m realizing that old habits and patterns die hard. Though my kids are now independent adults on their own, I’m still working on and in my business. The habit of staying “busy” remains a strong temptation.

Where Does Your Value Come From?

Keeping my mind and body busy seems to be the “productive” thing to do. We live in a culture of being busy, wearing it like a Badge of Honor. I have subconsciously believed that my worth is tied to productivity and busyness.

But at what cost?

Is busyness really the mark of a peaceful, joyful life? Not really.

When you introduce yourself to a stranger, what is the first thing you say after your name?

Your job. What you do.

From a young age, we are taught the lie that our value as a person comes from what we do. Our worth is determined by what we make, contribute, and give to the world. Not who we are.

But we know we are so much more than our work.

We are created beings who are deeply loved by God.

Our worth was decided long before we were born. God loves us, and decided we are worthy of His love. Not by anything we’ve done or could do. Simply because God chose to love us in His grace and mercy.

Living in the reality that we are worthy of love outside of what we accomplish takes intentionality.

When we choose to be intentional about remembering that our worth is not in our work, we can prioritize and decide what deserves our focus and energy with grace. Grace for ourselves. Grace for our work. Grace for the opinions of others who might not agree with our choices.

Those choices lead to a life marked by grace. God’s abundant grace.

Making choices with grace also means we have grace for ourselves and create space to meet our own needs.

We are God’s beloved! We are worth caring for!

When I give myself the space to slow down, breathe, and tune into my thoughts and emotions, I function better and have a better day.

Slow Down and Fill Up Your Cup

We have a perfect example of this in Jesus.

As far as I can tell from reading about Jesus’s life in Scripture, He never ran anywhere. He walked from city to city. Probably 3 miles per hour or less. He paused. Stopped what He was doing to teach or heal. He noticed everything around Him without strain, rushing, or worry.

He regularly practiced stillness and slowness. A grace-filled pace.

Jesus’s grace-filled pace gave Him space to rest and replenish in God the Father. That space enabled Jesus to be compassionate and resilient.

How could Jesus have endured humanity and the torture at the end of His human life without having a pattern of resting in the Father and a slow pace?

Jesus’s ability to endure all He did came through time spent alone with the Father and knowing His priorities as He walked through life.

Whenever Jesus said “no” or “not yet,” it was leading to His best “yes.”

So today I invite you to join me in making it a priority to practice stillness.

Carve out a couple minutes (yes, you can do this and make time for it) and get quiet before the Lord.

Put your hand over your heart.

Take slow, deep breaths.

Listen to your mind and emotions.

Speak to Jesus.

Let Him care for your soul.

Jesus loves you for who you are, not what you do.

He is longing for a connection with you more than what you can do FOR Him. In fact, your service will be far richer and fulfilling when your own bucket gets filled first.

The abundant life prioritizes care of the soul. Please take care of yours. Everyone around you benefits when you do.

If you struggle with slowing down and being still, I would love to help you through it. Schedule a free 15 minute call with me to see if one-on-one coaching would work well for you. I want you to be equipped to live the life you want to live, here and now, and live it abundantly.