You Don’t Have to Crush It 24/7
I heard pastor Nick Connelly say this in a podcast with Annie F. Downs - “You don’t have to crush it all of the time.”
Amen. Pause. Mic drop. Say it louder for the ones in the back.
(Here’s the link to watch the full podcast if you’d like to earmark it for when you have extra time.)
Our society does not value rest. We live in a fast-paced, go, go, go culture. Fast food, drive-up pick-up orders, and a grab-and-go mentality. It’s all about how quickly we can get from point A to point B. Doing more and more and more.
How and why is there so much pressure to constantly go and do? We give so much of ourselves that often we have nothing left to give ourselves. We forget that taking care of ourselves is Biblical. It’s God honoring and it’s honoring ourselves.
I don’t know who needs to hear it, but you don’t have to crush it 24/7. Some of you may be okay with going here and there multiple nights a week. I get it. Sometimes we have commitments and responsibilities that keep us on the go. But I want to challenge you - if you’re not able to spend time with God and follow His leading to rest, perhaps you need to take a step back.
It’s 100% okay to say “no.” We are all involved in activities that are well-meaning and good. But it’s also okay to focus on your rest as well. For me, my anxiety tends to spiral in one of the worst ways when I have too much planned. Something on my calendar every night of the week in addition to work and regular responsibilities. I start to panic and while it may seem silly, the overwhelm is too much. Because then I shut down and I’m no good to anyone, much less to myself.
Life can be hard. In just seven days we can encounter a lot of news. We can go from mountaintop experiences to the deepest valley of circumstances. It’s in those moments when life hits us hard, will we be able to stand? Will we have any reserve? Will we believe that God is still good?
As we approach Easter, may we remember the greatest event of all time. The resurrection of Jesus. May we be reminded that everything Jesus went through was for you and me. Nothing about it was wasted.
May we rejoice in the knowledge of eternity. May we be thankful for Jesus making a way for us. No matter what we may face on our days here on earth, may we take care of ourselves well, so that others may see the love of Jesus pouring out through us. You don’t have to crush it 24/7.
Acts 2:22-28 NIV
“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him:
“I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay.
You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”
