Unforced Rhythms of Grace

This post is by Jen Shultz.

There are few places in life that I truly feel at rest. Life just feels so busy these days. Even when I make the time to sit down or try to slow the pace of my days, I find myself plotting my next move. It is not from any sort of external pressure. These are self imposed deadlines that make little difference to anyone other than me. I recognized this behavior several years ago and shrugged it off as being “just the way I am wired”. 

Then, I tumbled head first into a valley with my health where I was bed bound. The inability to complete the work I had assigned myself to feel of value was left for others to complete. I struggled deeply with giving myself the grace I would readily give and encourage in others. Like so many other instances in my life, God met me right where I was with great advice from a dear friend and a verse to remind me that my value was not in what I accomplished. Instead, it was in who I accomplished it for.

““Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”” Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Suddenly, something slipped into place in my understanding. It was not just the world around me, but the restraints I had set within me that were making me so weary. The busy was a distraction. The constant movement within my task list had become a burden. I needed rest. Not a nap or a good night’s sleep, but that soul deep sigh that comes from being content in your Kingdom place. That stillness that comes even when the world around you does not make sense or you feel like you might be sinking is a beautiful place to find grace—for yourself and others.

Once we begin to peel off the layers of expectation the world places on us, perhaps we are more able to truly find our purpose. Maybe then, being productive takes on an entirely new direction and it is less about sweeping floors and more about sowing seeds. When our focus becomes working all things for His glory, the product of productivity is eternal. Friend, it doesn’t get more value added than that! 

God created you for so much more than a packed calendar or a constantly growing to-do list, friend. You were knitted together by the maker of the skies and stars. There is music in the calling and we have to allow that rhythm of grace to infiltrate every facet of our being. It is in the meeting right there  that we learn to live freely and lightly, gracefully even.  

Jen is a small town, Oklahoma girl married to a superhero. Together, they are raising a family on second chances, shiplap, and a shoestring. She is a firm believer in grace, organization, and efficiency. She finds great satisfaction in taking broken items and giving them new life, likely because that is exactly what God did for her. She over uses the word shine, exclamation points, and emojis. Jen calls her children her greatest accomplishments. A natural born encourager and armchair warrior, she is learning to redefine her mission field and make the most of each day she is given. She has recently been promoted from breast cancer warrior to breast cancer survivor. She’s chronically ill and chronically positive—not necessarily in that order. She is learning to practice perseverance over perfection and longs for the day she gets to see her grandparents and Jesus’ face. Until then, she is just looking for Grace in the Grind.

Photo by Evi Odioko on Unsplash