I skid my toes along the edge of the water. It’s brilliant blue, the color of the deepest sky. I let out my breath slowly and close my eyes. I listen to the waves. In. Out. In. Out. I match their rythm and slow down inside.
I think of words spoken by my life coach and friend, Denise. “Holley,” she said, “People aren’t made to keep the same level of productivity all the time. It comes in waves. Go with it. You need rest sometimes.”
I watch the ebb and flow of the tide and I know she’s right. I’ve known this somewhere deep inside every time I’ve come to the ocean since I was a little girl. But I forget. In the middle of the busy and expected it gets lost.
We are not machines. Only machines can work nonstop. And even then, they break down.
Rest is not wasted time.
Rest is preparation.
When it’s quiet in my life, when I can’t hear God’s voice, when I can’t see the next adventure, I begin to think something is wrong with me. I try to raise the tide. Surely if I can just do something then I will prove my worth again.
But the God of the Sea whispers instead to my heart…
“Peace, child, you are loved.
Peace, child, you are right in the middle of My purpose for you.
Peace, child, more will come when it is time.”
I let those words wash over me again and again until my heart knows their rythm. Yes, this is the way it is meant to be. Work and rest. Rest and work. And love in it all.
I throw a small shell into the water. It sinks to the bottom and I watch it resting there, wondering where the waves will take it next. The inevitable journey.
There is no more reason to strive.
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