Ask yourself - what happens if I find a slower pace?
Do you ever feel like God is trying to get your attention via social media? It may sound silly but honestly, why wouldn’t He? It’s a major component of most of our lives, like it or not. And if God wants to get our attention, I’m guessing He’ll use anything and everything. Lately, I keep seeing posts and videos related to stopping the hustle and finding a slower pace. Posts reminding us that it’s ok to go slower than others, that it’s ok to rest. I even saw a post that said the reason women don’t enjoy housework is because the many demands of our lives make us rush through it. The poster posed the question - would we enjoy our homemaking more if we actually had time for it? That really made me stop and think. And apparently it’s making a lot of you stop and think too because whenever I share these posts about slowing down, so many of you like or comment on it. Why is this resonating with so many of us, this concept of slowing down? I think part of it is because we're all just so exhausted after the last few years. Lockdowns, everchanging mask rules, virtual work, virtual school, uncertainty, constant division. It’s A LOT. And when you’re exhausted, you naturally want rest. But I also think the Lord is specifically calling women to slow down and enjoy what they're meant for. (Don’t mishear me… I fully believe God can call women to the workplace, to own businesses, to run corporations, etc. But we are also called to keep our home. Look at the Proverbs 31 woman; she’s doing all kinds of stuff in and outside her home!) I for one know I'm SO tired of saying "hurry up, let's go" to my kids all the time. And to myself. I feel like I’ve been in a hurry my entire life. But why? What’s the rush? What happens if we’re a few minutes late for school? What happens if we eat dinner 15 minutes later than usual? What happens if the kids are in bed a few minutes late? In my experience, the only thing that happens is that I stress out over not sticking to a schedule. But nothing cataclysmic takes place when we’re a few minutes late. Sure, there are situations where being right on time matters. But I’ve realized that most of the things I’m working so hard to be on time for don’t really matter. So what if we surrender to a slower pace? What if we surrender to rest? What if we surrender to enjoying the moment and trusting God's timing? Because it really does come back to trusting God’s timing, doesn’t it? We have to trust that He was intentional when he built rest into the 7 days of Creation. We have to trust that Jesus intentionally modeled rest for us, that Jesus walked everywhere he went, even though it may have felt like he had so much to do in His short time on Earth! For me, slowing down and finding rest sounds amazing. Refreshing. Rejuvenating. Life-giving. And it takes A LOT of effort on my part to do that... So I'm starting small, intentionally building moments of rest into my day. Allowing a shorter To Do list. Being ok with accomplishing less each day. Taking time to do things for my health that in turn, help me show up better for others. I’m leaning into TRUST with God and how He's calling me to this right now. And I’m trying to recognize how it's all helping me feel better. Because it is! I feel calmer, less anxious, and more equipped to notice the little things that make life fun and joyful. I’m finding more quality time with my husband and kids. My house may need to be dusted, the clothes need to be folded, the business books need to be balanced, and my next book needs more attention. But again I ask – what happens if I don’t do these things right this second? Nothing. What do you think? Are you being called to slow down too? Want to do this together? I’ve frequently been sharing about rest and a slower pace on my Instagram - @chrissiekenaston. I’d love to connect with you there.
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AuthorChrissie Kenaston shares about her experiences as a wife, mother, friend, entrepreneur, etc., all filtered through the lens of God's grace. Archives
January 2023
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