I sit on the edge of my bed, staring blankly at the dresser — no, through the dresser. My eyes are glazed over; I’m not really looking at anything. My shoulders sag, and my whole body feels as though I’m a wilting plant in need of sun and water.
I’m exhausted.
I’ve been saying yes to all the things that I can’t say no to — family obligations, mommy duties, household upkeep, work deadlines. And then there are the yeses I say for my own well-being — therapy, life-giving friendships, time alone, church, mentoring. Throw in a celebration for someone’s birthday, a coffee date with a friend I haven’t seen in a while, or a visiting family member, and the calendar seems to explode at the seams, with no wiggle room even to breathe.
And running in the back of my mind is the low-humming anxiety that I’ll drop a ball somewhere and won’t realize it until it’s too late. I can almost sense failure lurking around the corner, waiting for that ball to drop.
I close my eyes and take some deep breaths. The slow, deliberate breathing wills my body and mind to settle down. I want to curl up like a baby and be carried away to somewhere quiet so I can rest, and closing my eyes, I imagine God doing this for me. I don’t have to hold or control everything so tightly when I’m held in His arms. I can relax. I can truly rest.
I lie on my bed, where I hold my palms open to my sides and close my eyes again. By habit, these verses come to mind — the words embedded into the deepest parts of me since my childhood days of memorizing Bible verses for Sunday school: “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul” (Psalm 23:2–3 NIV).
Imagining the water, the green, it feels like the space I’m in expands. I don’t have to be controlled by my to-do list. I don’t have to do all the things or meet with all the people, even if all those things would have been good or beneficial for me.
I still need to do the things I need to do, but I look at the calendar with fresh eyes. I cancel meetings where I can. I choose only the absolutely necessary things to get done for the week. I talk with my husband about all the responsibilities I carry, and we hash out how we can better share the mental and physical loads.
In small but decisive ways, I simplify my life. And more than that, I find rest for my soul in the sliver of the day where I pause to breathe, to imagine, and to say yes to God’s invitation to come and receive His rest.
Story by Grace P. Cho, as published in Courageous Simplicity
The beauty of Psalm 23, depicting our Great Shepherd, is that it is also a portal to understanding who Jesus is as Shepherd, King, and Ruler. Jesus — Immanuel, God with us — is also the great I Am.
It makes sense that if Yahweh is our shepherd and will provide everything we need, then when He tells us that we can trust Him to take over our burdens, to exchange them for His way, we can trust that He has our best in mind.
By trusting the Good Shepherd, we can experience the radical simplicity of peace and contentment and courage. As the apostle Peter encourages us, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7 NLT).
Reflect on this prayer and make it your own today:
God, I admit I’ve all too often allowed the familiar to become unfamiliar. I’ve allowed the power of Scripture to become mundane in my life. No wonder I struggle to find the peace and simple life You have for me! Give me the courage and strength to let go of what I need to so that I can embrace what You have for me. Amen.
Excerpt from Courageous Simplicity: Abide in the Simple Abundance of Jesus
This week we kicked off our latest Online Bible Study, going through Courageous Simplicity: Abide in the Simple Abundance of Jesus with hundreds of women around the country! And friend, it just won’t be the same without you. Sign up and join us — it’s certainly not too late! In fact, we think you’re right on time. Joining is super simple (see what we did there?):
- Register for the Online Bible Study.
- Get your copy of Courageous Simplicity.
- Check your email for details + an invite to our private Facebook group.
Let’s go, sisters! Let’s journey towards a life of courageous simplicity — together.
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In Courage,
Far to often women feel like they have to do it all. The fact of the matter is we don’t have to do it alone. Lysa Terkeurst said in her book The Best Yes “Saying yes to everything & everyone won’t make you wonder woman. It will make you a worn out woman.” You won’t have anything left to give. Bonnie Gray wrote a book Finding Spiritual Whitespace-Awakening your Soul to Rest. In it she talks about putting margin or white space on your calendar. Making time for you to just sit & be. We should look to Jesus as a good example. No matter how busy His ministry got He always made time to go off by Himself to pray & refresh Himself. If He had to do it then how much more do we need it in our busy lives?
Blessings 🙂
God’s perfect timing! I was literally laying in bed urging myself to start my work day early because the mountain on my desk is so large. But time in His word gave me an energized rested soul to tackle that mountain rather than the frazzled I gotta get this done spinning mind I had before I read your post & took the time with Jesus! Thank you for sharing!
In all honesty, this pandemic has forced me into retirement and isolation and I would give anything to feel the frenzy of too much on my plate again. I look forward to filling my days with something productive. I do remember the feeling of not thinking there are enough hours in the day to do what I thought needed to be done. But I always made time for weekly yoga classes and Sunday worship which turned into a very long coffee hour afterwards.
I have signed up for the Bible Study but have received no link to Facebook or any information. Am I doing something wrong? Where do I go to join the study? Thanks for your help! Linda
The second day in a row that the in-courage post have really hit home. Yesterday’s was a pow, in the gut kind of one, today’s was more gentle but no less needed. I want to share a little of my story here incase it helps someone else. 20 years ago, around the time I first got married I felt God saying rest, I’m a person who likes to be busy who feels value in doing. I struggled to comprehend and to rest. I felt I had no worth if I was resting, to the point where I can’t even watch tv without having a project on the go. It has been a constant in my life, God telling me to rest and me struggling to let go. A few years ago I came across Bonnie Gray and her books, podcasts and devotionals on here, they were like a breath of fresh air and have truly helped. I now have fatigue due to IBS and physically cannot get through most days without a nap (I often feel ashamed and guilty about this). My husband and I have a fluctuating income, our focus is on reaching out to young people in the rural area where we live, there isn’t much funding for this so we tend to “tent make”. My husband is also keen that He is the main bread winner, he feels directed by God on this too. While I love this in one hand, time to bake, sew, garden be with our girls and reach out to others. I struggle particularly at times when our income is low or non existent. So I have taken on jobs he felt were unecessary but I couldn’t reconcile not doing because we need to make an income. None of these jobs have been worth it, they have always added stress and burden on our family and generally not made any net increase in income either! Recently I have resisted looking for jobs in times of financial scarcity, I’ve taken on the jobs that have come to me and fit around the young people but nothing else. God has provided over and above our needs. Our girls will say things like “I’d really love a pair of mummy jeans” the next day a friend will pop round with a sack of clothes they don’t want. Guess what will be in there in the right size? If you are struggling with rest like I do please don’t take so long as me to let go and watch God do the miraculous for you. You are worth it, He will provide and your life will be richer for it. Thank you for this post and reminder