I recently sat with a woman who told me, through weary eyes, "I feel like I'm just trying to survive." I could relate. Maybe you've felt that too.
Sometimes we start to see our calling as the very thing that's wearing us down. We find ourselves waiting for things to slow down or ease up… all the while knowing that isn't likely.
In the busyness of church planting, it's easy to focus on all the pressing needs and good work that needs to be done. There's always one more conversation to have, one more need to meet, one more thing to carry. And if we're not careful, we can begin to measure our worth by how much we're doing, how much we're holding together.
Over this past year, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on Jeremiah 17:7–8 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit."
The man is blessed not because he’s strong. He’s not fruitful because he’s working harder. He is like a tree, steady, rooted, and bearing fruit because his trust is in the Lord.
Before there is fruit, before there are green leaves, there are roots reaching.
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Living on mission doesn’t mean we have to manufacture our own energy or strive to be “enough” for our neighbors or our churches. It means we have a trustworthy Source. |
When our trust is in the Lord, our lives reflect that.
If you find yourself weary today, let this be your invitation to slow down and take notice.
Where do you feel like you are just surviving right now?
What would it look like to root yourself more deeply in God’s presence in that place?
Before you pick up your to-do list… before you step back into the needs around you… take a moment to sit with the Lord. Open His Word. Be still in His presence.
Sister, your fruitfulness in this season, your ability to love your family, serve your community and church, isn’t a result of your hustle. It’s a result of where your trust is placed.
With you and for you,
Rivers Partin
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Living Sent: A 30-Day Devotional for Women in the Mission of GodThis free devotional was created to help you connect with Scripture each day and recognize how God is inviting you to participate in His mission—right where you are. Your family, neighborhood, workplace, and daily rhythms are not accidental; they are God-given mission fields for the gospel to be lived out and shared. |