My brother, Canton Jones, is well-known for his gift as a Grammy-nominated and Stellar-award winning Gospel artist, but many don’t know that he’s also a pastor. I was listening to one of his messages and he asked a great question. He said, “Is it possible that God can do more through your rest than through your hustle?”
I’ve always been a very disciplined person with lots of goals and a strong internal drive.
Once I have my mind set on something, it's very likely that I'm going to "check the box." I rarely share these things about myself (and I thought long and hard before sharing them here), but this may be part of the reason why I graduated from high school in three years at the age of 16, graduated as the most outstanding senior out of thousands of college graduates, and earned my doctorate degree at the age of 26 as one of the youngest students in my entire program.
Even after achieving these accomplishments, my internal drive could not be quenched, and it just wasn’t enough; I couldn’t rest. I couldn’t sit still and I constantly asked myself, "What’s next?" and "Have I done enough?" I was obsessed with the destination and completely oblivious to the growth journey. After the death of both my parents who died at ages 52 (dad) and 60 (mom), I realized that life really is short and every day is a gift. Like Paul described in Phil. 4:11, I learned to become much more content. I recognized that when I die, my legacy will be less about what I've accomplished and more about who I've helped and how I've loved.
These days, we’re always “on the grind.” We’ve got jobs, families, friendships, side hustles, and so many other things that require our attention. We live as if we’re wired like the Energizer bunny that “keeps going and going and going.” If God rested on the 7th day, what makes us think that we don’t need rest too? In short, I’m going to tell you like some of the older folks used to say, “SADDOWN (sit down) somewhere!” Haha! :-)
Sometimes, we not only need a physical break but mental as well. Believe it or not, your mind is like a muscle, and it needs rest too. How do you expect to be your best self and on your “A game” if you’re constantly tired and worn down? I know you’re busy, but you get to choose your priorities. So, choose YOU...choose to rest...and let God do the rest!
To be clear, this doesn’t mean that you stop working and become a lazy sloth because you believe that God’s going to do your part. Instead, this means that you do your best and give God something to work with. Attach your faith to the works you’ve done, and believe that your plans will be accomplished with God’s help. Do what you can, have faith, and then rest.
Recalibrate your thinking and don’t confuse “busy” with “productive.” Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean that you’re getting anything done. The real question is, “What are you doing that is contributing to the fulfillment of your life purpose?” How can you #NormalizeRest so that you can live richly every day? #Subscribe #WealthInWisdom #PersonalDevelopment #Blog #Coaching #WisdomRead #PersonalWholeness
Proper rest mentally and physically is definitely important