_x000D_ _x000D_ Whenever someone asks me how I’m doing, I have a bad habit of responding something along the lines of “staying busy”, or “trying to keep my head above water”, or “drinking from a fire hydrant”. Always something about how much I have on my plate, as if there is something in my soul that screams "BE BUSY!!!" There is something in my nature that makes me feel like if I’m not busy, then I’m doing it wrong. It’s almost become the default line of conversation, like talking about the weather.  I have no idea why I fall all over myself to prove how busy I am, like it’s a badge of honor._x000D_ _x000D_ The question is this: why do we glorify time of busyness and minimize times of rest?_x000D_ _x000D_ The more I reflect on this, the more I realize that my busyness is self-inflicted. Despite my endless task lists, I’m never done. It’s a hamster wheel. The more things I knock off the list, the more things are added. I’m enslaved to not just doing it all, but trying to do it all perfectly. The thing I’m slowly realizing though, is that by adding more to my plate, I’ve sacrificed the ability to do two or three things with excellence in exchange for doing 10 things ‘OK’._x000D_ _x000D_ But why are we (am I) on this quest to begin with? All of our (my) busyness does nothing to impress God. So who are we (I) trying to impress? Has to be each other, right? Colossians 3:23 (NLT) gives us a great reminder to “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people”._x000D_ _x000D_ It’s funny how we have selective memory about certain verses. I always remember the “Work willingly at whatever you do…” part of this verse. It’s my biblical reminder to work hard, but I can forsake the second part. It’s easy to get caught up in the hard work part and ignore who we are doing it for._x000D_ _x000D_ I love the concept of a rhythm in life. I crave routine, both daily and seasonally. I believe God gives seasons of busyness and seasons of rest. The ebbs and flows gives me great joy because I know in times of rest that God is about to grow me through something and in seasons of busyness that there is a break coming. It’s a beautiful design, but it took me a long time to realize that I can find rest in the midst of busyness. It’s not always one or the other. It can be both. I know launching a new store and brand isn’t a season of rest, but I also believe that we can carve out minutes per day, or an hour or two per week just to rest in who He created us to be._x000D_ _x000D_ And yes, if this sounds more like a self-pep talk, it’s because it is. I need to constantly remind myself of God’s design for us. It’s so easy to get lost in task lists and be overwhelmed about all of the stuff that hasn’t even made it to the task list yet. Remember Paul’s word in 2^nd Corinthians 12:9 “Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me."_x000D_ _x000D_ Take a few minutes a day. Not hours pouring over your journal, but a few minutes while we’re driving to the office, waiting on the kids, before you go bed, to reflect on all God has given you. You will realize that it doesn’t take a clear schedule, or “inbox zero”, or a vacation to find rest in Him._x000D_ _x000D_