Rooted Not Rushed
FLOURISHING IN THE SLOW SEASONS
Last summer the Lord allowed my life to take a 180. He’d been trying to get my attention for awhile. His still, small voice was ever present, but I was too busy to pause and hear Him. I was a full time, working mother who was simultaneously a full time, stay at home mom to my first born. As if that wasn’t already a full plate, on weekends I would moonlight as a vocalist in a band and write freelance for a local tourism blog. I did my best to check all the boxes for what the world told me success looked like.
I maintained perfection on the highlight reel, but truthfully I was drowning on the inside. My time with the Lord was rushed and I deeply desired a more meaningful connection. I craved an even deeper sense of belonging and purpose. I longed for my sense of self worth to no longer rest upon all that I accomplished. I wanted a different life, but was too addicted to the momentum to do anything about it. I was stressed, burned out and felt terrible all the time.
I maintained perfection on the highlight reel, but truthfully I was drowning on the inside.
I maintained this until last summer when everything came to a halt. I was freshly postpartum with my second child when I received the call that I lost my job due to downsizing. That same week, it was revealed that I had an autoimmune response to the birth process and my body was essentially screaming at me to slow down. I had been unwilling to make a change, so the Lord, in his goodness, forced my hand. He exposed to me that my days filled with the brim were truly only serving myself and that he had a different call for my life (Psalm 127:2).
“It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to His loved ones.”
After balancing out our options and copious amounts of prayer, my husband and I felt a pull to transition me into focusing solely on motherhood and to live on just one income. I would not be finding a new full time job. Truthfully, this really felt like a freefall into the dark. It meant cutting our budget almost completely in half. Even still, we felt so much peace about it. We felt the kind of peace that might make the world look at you like you’re a little crazy (Phil 4:6-7). While we knew things would be tight and that our life would require simplification, we rested deeply in the knowledge that we serve a good God who would provide all our needs. We knew that more often than not, God doesn't give us the full picture, but rather, asks us to step out of the boat and trust Him.
Almost a year later, I can say that this transition has been hard and uncomfortable, but it's also been the deepest, most meaningful and satisfying season of my life. Everything moves slower. The to-do list is simplified. My plans are filled with more intention. I’ve started to heal, I’ve learned to rest in contentment, and my relationships have become more deeply planted. I am most grateful for the slowness and simplicity that made space for me to meet God in new ways that I’d never known Him before. Yes, my quiet time is less rushed, but I’ve found that living with an intentional slowness has created greater space for the Lord to fill my entire day.
The moment I was forced to slow down and still myself was the moment that I could finally start hearing God’s voice again.
The moment I was forced to slow down and still myself was the moment that I could finally start hearing God’s voice again. Slow walks with my three year old have become filled with prayer, washing dishes is a time of quiet reflection, drives to the store are filled with worship and praise, and late nights with the baby are filled with buckets of sanctification. In the stillness, the Lord has seeped in and let me truly hear his voice. He’s speaking to me the way that He always wanted to. There’s just less noise and distraction, so I can hear Him now. The stillness allowed my roots to grow more deeply planted.
How lucky are we that we serve such a good and patient God?! He is so kind despite the waiting, so gentle in His call for attention, and so generous in His blessings. He is here with each of us, we just need to slow down and to be still (Exodus 14:14). Maybe those prayers that we feel are going unanswered, the guidance we’re looking for, or the peace we seek are all waiting for us, but we’re moving too fast to hear it. Often, we need to take more time to quiet our minds, still our bodies, and pause the “to-do” list to hear what the Lord is sharing with us.
My call here is not for you to quit your job. It’s not for all moms to only stay home or for you to completely change your lifestyle. Rather, my hope is a simple question. What needs to be moved in your life to make more space to hear the voice of Christ? Is there something you need to let go of? Maybe you do need a complete lifestyle change like me, or maybe you just need to learn how to shut the laptop at night. Maybe it’s working less hours or just turning off the podcast while you walk and pray instead. How can you create some stillness in your day? Where can you slow down to allow your roots to grow deeper?
“What needs to be moved in your life to make more space to hear the voice of Christ? Is there something you need to let go of?”
Busy seasons are inevitable in this life, but it's the work we do in the stillness and slowness that will keep us firmly planted. We must never let ourselves be so busy that we stop taking time to hear the voice of Christ. Be still and know that roots grow, develop, and strengthen in the quiet and unseen moments so that the blooms can flourish in their due time.
