Reflections on Rest

 Hello and welcome back to another article!

At the time I started working on that article, it had been exactly a whole quarter and a month since I had last posted. However, here we are now and the year is almost over. What started just as a moment in between posts to brainstorm the next article turned into a much needed Selah moment. As I have said before on this platform, there is nothing that I share that doesn’t apply/ minister to me: What I have shared from a prophetic place has turned out to be the encouragement I couldn’t give myself in the times that I have walked through my very own valley; and what I have shared from experience is the wisdom I pray someone can benefit from. 

2025 was definitely a mixed-feelings type year with highs that were high and exhilarating; and lows that had me question a lot of things. And in the midst of all of this, a moment to stop was much needed. It was intentionally shorter to begin with but as time went by, I realized that perhaps much more time than I had anticipated was needed. Life still happened but I started to think more intentionally about what it meant to rest as i walked through that journey everyday, in a practical way. 

As the year is coming to an end, I am still on that journey (and suspect I will be on it for a while), more intentional than ever about what it means to live a life where rest can exist, not as an earned reward for constantly and consistently striving as society dictates it, but simply as a practice because I deserve it. 

As I continue my journey, I am sure that I will have a lot more to talk about but I wanted to share what I have found out rest to be in the past months through my own experiences, through conversations with people and through the Bible lens.

1- Rest as a way to honor God

As part of ministry, I attended a workshop months ago where we spoke about rest. I had been wrestling with this article for a while and didn't really know how to start it, what to write in it or even how to relate to it. However, one thing I knew for sure was that it was what God wanted me to talk about and the theme of this workshop came as confirmation of it. The guest speaker at the workshop described Rest as a gift from God. When I did my research while writing this article, I found that there was different words in Hebrew that meant rest but the one that she and I stayed on was Shabbat which is what God instructed in His word. As a Christian (imitator of Christ), I think a lot of what it means to bear that name/title. Sometimes, there are big/very stern terms associated with it like Holiness, and obedience, but there are moments like this, when talking about rest, where I realize that imitating Christ (who is God) also means resting. It might seem like such a minute thing but it is so important. The Bible says in genesis that God created everything in six days and "by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creation that He had done" (Gen 2:2). What I took away from this verse is that to honor the sabbath (rest) is to honor God by imitating him (first) and by acknowledging the sacredness of rest (second). To live in holiness is to honor God. To live in integrity is to honor God. To serve in a ministry capacity, in community or our family members is to honor God. And to rest is also to honor God. 

2-Rest as a way to rebel against societal norms

We live in an era were productivity has become an idol for many (myself included). For a lot of us, we have derived our worth from what we do. I have heard many times people joke around and say :"you can rest when you are dead" and that's how I knew that there was a serious problem with the society we live in. It is unfortunate that it takes people to be burnout, to have mental breakdowns or even drop down dead to realize that rest is something necessary. As someone who travels, I am realizing that the idea of moving slow and stopping is not something that is natural in the western society. In certain places in Europe, shops are closed on the weekend. People on their lunch breaks step away from their desks/ leave their offices to have lunch because they understand the importance of stopping, just for a little while, so they can be replenished and rejuvenated. As I am walking through that journey of uncovering what rest means for me, I am also confronted with the reality of how hard it is to change my own habits and reconditioning my mind. I am confronted with the reality of how hard it is to resist the urge to jump on everything, say yes to everything and/or fix everything. The reality of the world we live in is that everyone is expendable and there will be another day to save if I cannot save today. And if I can save today, it's okay if I don't save tomorrow. I don't have to succumb under societal pressure : just because I have the capacity to do it all doesn't mean that I have to do it all.

3- Rest as an act of trust (and Faith) in God

A while ago, I went down the rabbit whole to understand the difference between trust and faith because of one specific passage: Mark 9:24. What I have found during my study of that verse is that it is possible to have Faith (believing in God's character and power) while not trusting that He can do what He says He is going to do for us specifically. The faith part is based on things that are established as truth by the Word of God, the trusting part is relational. Faith stands on Who God is, trust is based on who God is to us. And for a lot of us, rest is a test of how much we trust God and have Faith in him. A lot of us- again, myself included- wrestle with restlessness because we do not trust that God will show up for us. We tend to have the Faith part down but the area where we struggle the most is trust. Even when we have a track record of what God can do, we still waver in our trust. And because we do, we have a tendency to want to control everything, even when we leave things in God's hands. I have found in my experience that a restless mind/person is simply a mind/person that is not at peace. I am learning to pivot my prayers from asking for answers to asking God for peace. It doesn't mean an absence of trouble, it just means that because the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus (phil 4:7), I can rest knowing that what I cannot take care of because it is out of my reach and my physical abilities, God will handle. It is a hard thing to practice on a daily basis, especially in times where all you see is a raging sea and waves on the horizon of life while your boat is being beat up by the storm. And practicing trusting God will not be something that you nail every time too: there will be moments of doubts. However, when those moments come, be reminded that God is not looking out for perfection and all He needs is a sincere heart that can say "Lord I believe (I have faith), help my unbelief (my lack of trust)" just as in mark 9:24. And He will do the rest.

4- Rest as a way to sustainably continue the journey 

As someone who used (in the past) to want to just get through my tasks, I have learned the hard way that rest is the only way to sustainably continue the journey. Just "wanting to be done" got me burned out, irritable and brought me to the brink of quitting things that I enjoy that required me to (unfortunately for me) pace myself. I have learn that quitting wasn't the solution to being burnout or overwhelmed: resting was. I have a very good friend of mine (more like a sister from another mother) whose motto is "no matter what you are going through in life, eat first" and to that I add "then sleep". I have come to realize for myself how detrimental a lack of sleep and rest is for me, what I have going on in life and my relationships. It goes without saying because it is straight up Biology. But we don't always realize that. Whenever I think of how far one can go when properly rested and rejuvenated, I think of Elijah's journey to Horeb as he was running for his life because of Jezebel. The Bible says in 1 kings 19: 1-9: 

"Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them." Elijah was afraid a and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9There he went into a cave and spent the night.

One thing I believe about the Bible and the way it is written is that nothing is coincidental. 2 tim 3: 16 says "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" and my personal belief is that the rest, the food and the power of God all played a role in Elijah's ability to walk 40 days and night- without stopping- to go meet God at Horeb. It is encouragement (to me at least) that resting and refueling is not a waste of time, but rather a necessity if we want to make it to the places we talk about with God. 

This is the end of the road for this article and this topic (for now) and this is what I will leave you with for this year. I hope (and pray) that in those words- whether from this article or from the ones that I published this year and before- you have found something that gave you hope, encouraged you and/or something that motivated you to either keep going or change the trajectory of your life for the better. 
I am grateful that no matter how long I am gone, I always find myself back to this place where my words go out to do what they do (I hope something good). I pray the rest of this year be kind to you and your loved ones and I leave you with this Irish blessing: 

"May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rains fall soft upon your fields,
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand."

Until next time, 

Reflections on transition seasons

“I am the LORD your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it” Ps 81:10

Now this verse is not directly connected to what we will be talking about today, however, it is the theme behind how this article made it to the blog today. As the time approached to post on this platform, I started to brainstorm about what I was going write about. I had a couple of ideas but nothing that I felt settled about. So I started praying about it and asked God what was next. Then I stood still. I had started writing about transition and what it meant, how to navigate it, etc… The notes that I had were more in the contexts of conversation with my inner circle so I never really elaborated on the thoughts I jotted down. However, after I prayed about what to post, God redirected my attention to those notes. The topic of transition then started popping up: in church, conversations with friends and strangers, in my own life as things started to shift and change. It was clear what would be the next topic and here we are.

When we speak of transitions, generally we go immediately to the natural/physical seasons that we experience throughout the year (at least I do). Seasons are in order and succeed one another. The succession of seasons is not a clean cut, meaning april 20th it is 20 degrees Fahrenheit and snowing and as soon as April 21st comes it is now spring. No… It is a little more complex than that: yes by the calendar it is spring but things change gradually. There is an in-between place where it is not winter anymore but it is not yet spring: that is the transition. It is the place where what we used to do and know no longer works but what we are to do does not apply yet. Although there is no “transition season” on the calendar even though it very much exists, going through a transition in life is a season of its own and only God knows how much it lasts. Because it is a place where things are not easily discerned and there aren’t always word to explain what is going on, I thought perhaps I would share some of the things God helped me understand about transition seasons.

1- A transition season is a season to get closer to God

Because a transition season is the place between no longer and not yet, it is the space where flexibility and adaptability muscles are exercised. In our walk with God it is the place where we are to rely on God more than ever because we are leaving an old place and entering a territory we have never been before. We are entering a territory that is only known by God. As humans, we cannot comprehend things with our limited understanding or things seem to elude us, we tend to get creative to get to our “next” quicker when what we should be doing is trust/ lean on God (prov 3:5-6). 

2-Your attitude during the transition season determines how successfully you navigate it

A transition season is the space where we need to stay close to God to receive instruction and wisdom in order to navigate the transition successfully and not add to the time we are meant to go through it. Israel got out of Egypt and went through the wilderness prior to taking possession of Canaan, the promise land. The wilderness was their transition and it was actually planned by God (I know. Shocker. We’ll talk about God ordained wilderness another time). However, because they did not stay close to God (with their hearts postures and with their actions), what was supposed to be a transition of 40 days turned into 40 years. 

3- A transition season does not affect just you

I want to believe that not all the Israelites had the wrong heart posture, but one thing that is undeniable about their extended stay in the wilderness is how not having the proper posture in a transition season can affect the people around us. Yes, going through a transition might feel really intimate and personal, but one thing I have learned about life is that what I go through in life might be for me but rarely about me. Someone’s life, breakthrough, healing, deliverance, salvation, etc… is tied to my obedience and willingness to follow God’s instructions. My delay makes them incur delays that might be detrimental and cause them never to enter their promise land. 

4- A transition season is not a season of idleness

There is no greater lie about a transition season than that of being dressed up/referred to as a season of idleness. Yes there is not much that can be done in that season but it doesn’t mean that nothing is being done. God is too intentional for anything to ever be wasted with him. The greatest work being done in a transition season is the one that is not always immediately seen and/or felt and that is the internal one. The work that God does on our heart and our character. The transition season is a space of learning and unlearning: you let go/unlearn what no longer serves you and learn the new skills that will be useful for you as you enter your promised land. And if you have ever tried learning and unlearning anything in life, then you know how hard that can be. The ground work for the next season is laid in the transition season. It is far from being a season of idleness: it is the season where the most important work is done to ensure that the foundations that are laid can sustain the weight of what God is to entrust us with in the promised land. 

5-Life is still be to lived in the transition season

Because of how uncertain and up in the air things are in the transition season, a lot of us hold our breath, waiting for things to settle before we can exhale. But from my own personal experience, i can say that God times and times, reminded me that life is also worth being lived in the middle. Yes things might be uncertain but we serve a God that is certain because His word says that He is the same yesterday, today and forever (hen 13:8). He is still good, He is still merciful, He is still a provider, He is still all those things that His word says He is and He is still faithful to make a way for us when there seems to be no way. He is still faithful to make everything work out together for our good (Rom 8:28), even when we do not how it will happen. Because all of these things are true, we can live life in the transition season knowing that all his promises for us, all the things he has spoken over us will come to pass when the time is right (Isa 60:22). There is still beauty in the space between no longer and not yet, and as hard and tricky as it can be, it is worth being lived and honored. 

If you are going through a transition in life, I would like to encourage you to keep the faith and to keep going. Egypt might look attractive but remember what the Lord delivered you from. There is more ahead. There is better ahead so keep going. Keep pressing forward. Keep the faith and don’t look back. When the going gets hard, remember that “Weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning” (Ps 30:5)

Until next time,

The Revelation Behind Rejection

I was reflecting lately on rejection and relationships. And obviously one thing that came to my mind is the saying “ you never know what you have until you have lost it” and for a while I used to scream amen to it until I came to terms with the fact that, while it is true (to some extent), they are some people in this world that have lost me and will never know what it means to have lost me. And the reason why they will never know that is because they never knew what they had in the first place. 

Knowing the magnitude of a loss comes with a revelation of what you had in the first place and what it represents for you, at a personal level. The very first place of the human revelation of receiving something good was with Adam when God gave him Eve. God made everything from the ground including man but when it came to the woman, she was made out of Adam's rib. Adam did not have a mirror and my guess is he didn’t know what he looked like. He didn’t know what Eve was made of or how she was made. And yet, when he woke up from the sleep God had put him under, He saw Eve and said : “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” (Gen 2:23). God didn’t tell Adam about his plan so how could he possibly know that she was made from him? I’d like to believe that there was a divine insight that Adam had that made him recognize what he had been given and what it represented for him. 

Outside of the realm of romantic relationships, I believe that the knowledge of how important people are to us and the importance of what they carry within themselves is a matter of revelation. And the way they treat us correlates to whether or not they have received that revelation. And you don’t go around telling people who/what you are to them: they have to find out for themselves. As a Christian, I believe that type of revelation/discernment is not common sense/ common knowledge but rather comes from walking closely with God (john 4:10)

When I understood that people’s ability to steward me properly was tied to the revelation of who I was to them, I realized that what they did and the way they acted towards was never personal. That’s also when the terms “rejection is God’s redirection” took a deeper meaning for me. And God led me to Matt 7:6 to understand what that means from a Biblical perspective. 

“Do not throw your pearls before pigs, for they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” 

Jesus’ analogy depicts what it looks like to invest something valuable (our time, emotions, gifts/talents, our own selves, etc…) into people and places that have no revelation of their/our value and that lack the stewardship skills to handle it properly. The end result is those things being trampled. I was curious about what happens when pigs trample things, so I went to look it up and this is what I found: 

“When pigs trample, they can cause significant damage to crops, fields, and other agricultural areas. They can destroy plants, damage fences, and even contaminate food sources, leading to financial losses and health risks. Additionally, their rooting and digging behavior can damage the soil structure, impacting long-term productivity.”

A lot of us are damaged and broken because we trusted people and spaces with valuable things about us that they were never meant to get a hold of and they trampled them. Jesus’ word is an invitation to discern our target audience. Not everyone is meant to hold the most sacred part of us. Not everyone is meant to have access to our hopes, dreams. I like to equate the most sacred and intimate parts of us to the Holy of Holy which was the innermost and most sacred chamber within the Tabernacle and then within the Temple that was built to the Lord. Back then the temple was a physical building, but now our bodies are the physical temple (1 co 6:19). So we ought to be diligent about who has access to us, to our hearts, to our lives, to our gifts. But most importantly we ought to be diligent about the places we dwell in, the tables we sit at and the companies we choose to entertain. 

Understanding those things helped me to not dwell too much on longing for the tables I used to sit at that God flipped, the relationships that God severed so the right connections can be made and the doors God closed so that I could walk through the ones He opened for me. That revelation is itself didn’t necessarily make things easy but it made it easier: easier to mourn properly, easier to not ruminate day in and day out and constantly ask "why?", easier to move on, easier to see things for what they were instead of longing for things/people that were nothing but a construct of my mind because I projected onto those places and people the God/Godly characteristics that I carried but didn't always received back. 

My invitation to you is to think about the people and the places that welcome you and value you: all of you, not just what you bring but also who you are, and the people and places that don’t; and to decide where you would rather cast your pearls. The most precious pearl of all (Jesus) was given to the world so that you would know how valuable you are. There is a place for you, a seat prepared, people that you are and will be an answered prayer to. Your target audience is out there and I pray that in due time, you find it and that it finds you.

Until next time,

“We fall down, but we get up”

A little while ago, I took a tumble in church. Right after service as I was heading downs­tairs to fellowship. And when I say a tumble, I am not talking about a cute fell-on-my-butt-slid-down-the-stairs type of moment: It was a full fumble as in rolled like a ball down the stairs. Thankfully I was not injured and there were people that made sure I was okay & did not hurt myself at the bottom of the stairs. Passed the chaos, Shock , fear , surprise & adrenaline rush, I laid on the floor for a while. I was not injured, just comfortable. People tended to me, checked that I was Indeed not hurt. Got me food, water, asked me if I was okay, we cracked a few jokes then I made my way home.

As I got home & sat in my car for a while, I felt the embarrassment rise. But instead of pushing it down, I got curious about it. Probably for the first time in my life. So I took it to God and asked Him why I felt that way. And I want to share w/ you what He said and some of the lessons I took away from it. when I asked God why I felt embar­rassed His response was" because you are more worried about how people see & perceive you than /now you truly are". Talk about an accurate read from the Holy Spirit. And it was absolutely true. People were worried about my wellbeing after seeing how serious that fall was, and there I was ,worried about what people thought of me / how their percep­tion of me would be altered after that. The Lord then led me to understand that had that fall been as serious as it could have been, being embarrassed would have been the very least of my worries. And here are the lessons that God wanted me to take away from that teachable moment:

1- You are focused on the wrong things.

When we focus too much on how people will see us / what they will think of us, we are not in a space where we can fully embrace what God wants to do in our lives. Not only that, We do not allow ourselves to show up authentically so God can use us at the measure at which He desires to do so. The Bible says in 1 Sam 16: 7:" For man looks at the out­ward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart." the worry of the appearance is an issue of Pride more than anything else. God wanted me to realize that at the core of my P. R campaign there was only one thing and it wasn't him. And that needed to be fixed.

2- Don't get too comfortable in your fallen state. 

To fall is not the issue, to remain in that state is the problem. When I was laying on the floor after that fall, people started to worry about me being injured and unable to get up. I told them that I wasn’t injured: just comfortable; and that's why I was still on the floor. And to be comfortable in that state for too long is a dangerous place to be in (spiritually, mentally and emotionally). No one is immune to falling, but after we have fallen, our goal should be to work on getting back up and continue to walk instead of throwing in the towel and saying "what is the point of this any way?!". And it might take time for you to get back up again and you know what? It's okay. And you might need some help to get back on your feet. And guess what? yup! that is also okay because God never created Man to do life alone. Which leads to the final lesson.

3- Allow others to help you

Life has forced me into a state of hyperindependence. It took a while for me to come to terms w/ the fact that it was a trauma response rooted is disappointment, hurt, betrayal and a symptom of my lack of trust in other people and also God. Because if there is one thing I believe in, it's that wise word from Ms Iyanla Vanzant that says "If you do it somewhere, you do it everywhere". And surely enough God was not an exception to the practice of my hyper independence: I am still learning everyday to ask God & people for help and to actually allow them to help me. And let me be the first one to tell you that getting the help you need and ask for is life changing. And wouldn't want to go back to my old ways even if I could. Is it hard? Yes. But is it worth it? Absolutely! 

Life is not perfect, neither are we. There will be moments in life like the one I described in this post that highlights the things that God wants us to lay down, the things He wants to work out of us so that we can be who He as called us to be. Fully & authentically with nothing holding us back. So I pray that when you find yourself in these moments, that instead of pulling away, you will lean in & make space for God to move & make you new because on the other side of your yes to that invitation to lean in, there is more thriving & less striving. There is greater & there is better.

Until next time,

 

Don’t Let The Story End With Shame

Shame is no stranger to me and I’m sure to a lot of you out there, reading that article today. I’ve lived shame, lived in it, been shamed and sometimes wrapped my identify around the shame that I was feeling. And I still sometimes do. I think the biggest problem about shame is not only what it makes us think we are, but also what it makes us feel we are not and will never be able to be (or do). My curiosity about wanting to understand my shame and find out what it was all about happened when I started listening to Brené Brown; but  the reckoning and the rumbles started when I dived into the book Rising Strong. At random moments during my journey through this book and my own personal journey navigating shame and guilt, I have pondered what were the odds that out of all the books that I have, I would specifically be reading this one, at this very moment; right when I’m caught in an internal (and external) shame sh-tstorm.

I have once heard someone very close to me say that people who do bad things should be shamed however, my own experience with shame has taught me that unless there is a personal desire to change and use it as a defining turning point in life, shaming someone never makes them a better person. Shaming leads to pain and isolation. Shaming leads to despair. Shaming leads to hopelessness. Shame doesn’t make better people. Accountability does. Speaking the truth does. Empathy does. Giving people a safe space to share their story does. Doing your best to help and support with the generous assumption- to quote Brené Brown- that people are doing their best does.

I do not believe that shame makes better people, I believe that shame if pushed on people for a long time and hard enough, has the potential to literally and figuratively end their stories, not reshape them.

There have been moment in my life where I might not have verbally shamed people but I certainly did by the behaviors I exhibited towards them and by the approach of life I had. I walked the earth- especially as a Christian- portraying that Hollier-than-thou attitude when the truth is that attitude was more of a sin than someone who secretly (or openly) struggled with shame and leaned on God to find their way out of what was the root of the shame.

The reason why shame has such a big impact on us is because it directly correlates to our sense of worthiness and our identity vs just our ability to "just do". The shame of making a mistake will shift our monologue from “I made a mistake” to “what is wrong with me” or “I am so dumb/ stupid” etc… Shame has such a big impact because we tend to assimilate with it and Brené Brown put it better than I could ever explain in words when she said: “ I did a bad thing so I am a bad person” to illustrate the difference between shame and guilt.

When I think of shame, there are two people from the Bible immediately come to my mind : Mary Magdalene and Peter. One labelled by shame before meeting Christ and the other labelled and probably plagued by it after denying Jesus. What I like about those two in particular is that they did not let the weight of their shame truncate their destinies and their stories. Mary Magdalene before meeting Jesus was a prostitute. And I am sure after rallying with Jesus a lot of people still referred to her by her wrong and the subject of her shame while Jesus and God referred to her by her name. Peter was the one about which Jesus said : “ And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades (death) will not overpower it [by preventing the resurrection of the Christ].” Matt 16:18. Jesus knew already that Peter was going to deny him but He still made that declaration on Peter. He went further and told him :“Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat. Simon, I’ve prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out. When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start.” Luke 22:32. And although I had never thought of it this way, I want to think maybe Jesus wanted Him to have something to hold onto so that he wouldn’t be taken out by shame. Maybe Jesus wanted Him to have something to hold onto when the thoughts “ I am a bad person, I am not worthy” stormed him so that he would be reminded that he still has purpose; so that he would be reminded that shame is not the end and that even if we had a choice, we wouldn't let it be the end. I think Jesus wanted to remind him that his humanity would fail him but it would not be enough to stop God’s sovereign plan or change God’s mind about him or the mission He gave him.

If you are wrestling with shame know that it can be a turning point, a defining moment in life or it could be the end but only if you let it. You might feel like the worst human being on this earth for one reason or another, you might feel like you are not even worthy of being on this earth but know that God has you here for a purpose. You are accounted for in God’s Sovereign plan, He loves you and can turn what you see as a mess into a masterpiece. Nothing can make you fall out of God’s hands. And although you might be going through the storm and weeping, know that there is hope on the other side. Lean onto God, find safe people to shine light onto the darkness in which shame reigns and trust that as long as you are willing to let God write your story, you will get to the other side of this storm. I might not know a lot but one thing I know for sure, is that God is a redeemer. 

Until next time,