Just Your Presence Is Enough

We hear in today's First Reading a handful of times when God said something—let there be water, earth, humankind—and that thing happened. He spoke, and His words were life-giving. They still are, and today His word speaks to me this gentle encouragement to rest, to take comfort in His rest on the seventh day and to mirror it in my own life.

Even though I've been through this before, my immediate reaction is to say, But I'm busy!

I have people I need to get back to, a long to-do list that I should try to keep tackling. It's not just the pressure from other people to "perform" and do all of these things, it's also pressure from myself.

When I look really closely at that, I see that it's because I take pride in doing all of these things. It's probably also because I can tend to consider checking these boxes as a way of distinguishing my worth—in work, in relationships, in my home even.

But that's just not true, not for me, not for you. And I know it, because I've lived out this story before.

A few years ago, I began struggling with some new health challenges that affected my day-to-day life, and it was difficult for me to accept my limitations at that time—to accept my weaknesses. The required rest was painful, yes, and heart-aching to experience, but I began to see that my worth didn't lay in my accomplishments or capabilities.

My husband, family, and friends showed me that. They didn't want anything from me. Just my presence was enough. And the gift of that for me to experience was something I will never forget—knowing I was loved not for what I could do, but for who I was. Knowing that I could rest and still be . . . worthy, valuable, wanted, and loved.

The same is true for you. Our Father in Heaven is showing us the way to live fully, to live the life we were created for, and He's showing us that that life includes rest.

Our Father in Heaven is showing us the way to live fully. // @praymorenovenasClick to tweet

listen to today’s devotion

Make a plan for rest today, for this week, this month. What does that look like for you?