My friend Molly Wilcox invited me to write on her blog, and today I want to share a short snippet with you! I believe each of us is searching for rest, but I wonder if we’re looking for it in the wrong places. Meanwhile, the Father holds out His hand and invites us to rest in Him!

A few years ago, I found myself in a season of absolute exhaustion—striving, working, and desperately trying to prove myself to others and maybe to myself as well. Actually, as much as I’d like to pretend this happened years ago, it happens nearly every year. Almost like clockwork, the seasons change, life changes, and I find myself on that never-ending treadmill, sprinting to a finish line that always moves. 

It’s exhausting, and honestly, there’s not enough self-care in the world to pull me out of it. I don’t think it’s a self-care problem. It’s a heart issue. I wonder how many of our problems we’re trying to fix with self-care when we’re actually searching for rest in all the wrong places.

At a time when I was struggling with my never-ending battle, I cried out to the Father, desperate for Him to break through the voices screaming in my heart and mind telling me to be better, to work harder, to prove myself. That day, His still, small voice spoke to my weary soul, whispering, “The opposite of proving is resting in My extravagant love.”

His words hit me hard, like when you trip down a staircase and hit every step. In that season, I was involved in so many good things–working in full-time ministry, serving at my church, loving my family, pouring into my community, and doing a dozen other good things. But as so often happens, those good things weren’t the right things, and as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I was doing many of these things to prove that I could, that I was strong enough, that I was good enough. So when the Father told me that the opposite of proving was resting in His extravagant love, I desperately wanted to believe it was true. 

Molly Wilcox is an incredible writer with a heart to help readers encounter the Lord and grow in their relationship with Jesus! Check out her blog and subscribe to her newsletter for free weekly devos that will help you meet with the Lord!