What rhythm am I following?

I’ve been in my college-home state of North Carolina the past four days for the Hope*Writers Conference. It was both heart-soaring and overwhelming and might best be described as drinking inspiration from a fire hose.

I got back to the hotel room yesterday mentally drenched from the stream of ideas and best practices that will hopefully help me as a writer serve you better. My over-achiever self had planned to sit down and review my notes and start mapping out a content plan for the coming months.

But, oh, I was so tired.

Mentally.

Physically.

Spiritually.

So I told myself maybe I could use the time to investigate model business plans for writers. I Googled, but my eyes glazed over, and I couldn’t understand the words I saw.

Next, I thought about how the conference reminded me of the central part of being a writer…

…WAIT FOR IT…

Well, it’s writing.

Not pounding out business plans or designing the prettiest social media graphics. Those may be part of the work, but they’re not the most important. I grabbed my computer and decided I should start a draft of this blog post.

And I couldn’t string two words together.

All I could manage was to jot a couple of notes and collapse on the couch and watch football. Pretty soon, that turned into crawling into bed and resting.

I prayed along the way asking God to show me what to do, where to start, but I kept getting sleepier. And I felt Him telling me to rest. As I buried my head in the pillow, I whispered a prayer something like, “Don’t let me forget all the things I learned.” Before I even finished that prayer, I was asleep.

When my eyes opened this morning, I could see themes for us to explore on this journey together and how these random pieces I’ve written as offerings to the Lord might be woven together by God (not by me!) into a tapestry, rich with texture and color, to show His faithfulness as we walk alongside Him and trust Him to lead and guide us.

God didn’t need me to remember. He’s got the hard parts covered. We just need to be faithful, listen to His leading, and embrace His rhythm, not our own.

Take a few moments to prayerfully consider the following questions. Maybe journal your responses. Ask God to reveal what He wants you to know.

Is God calling you to rest while you’re trying to do “all the things” to make life work? What does it mean for you to rest in Him?

How might you be trusting your to-do list more than the One who created you?

I’d love to know if I’m the only one who struggles with over-achiever syndrome and finds it hard to rest. Comment below or email me at dawn@dawntolbertwrites.com to let me know or to share how I can pray for you!

Much love.

Dawn