I don’t know about you, but slowing down doesn’t come naturally to me. My default speed is “go.” Between motherhood, ministry, writing deadlines, and the ever-growing list of to-dos, I’ve often convinced myself that the faster I move, the more faithful I’m being. After all, productivity feels a lot like purpose—until it doesn’t.
Somewhere along the way, I realized that gratitude and hurry can’t coexist. One always chokes the other out…
The Gift of Being Made to Lie Down
Psalm 23 doesn’t say, “He suggests we rest if we have time.” It says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.” That line “He makes me lie down” used to make me laugh—until I lived it. God, in His mercy, has a way of forcing stillness when we resist it. For me, it came in the form of exhaustion. I was running on empty—mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I remember one afternoon when the girls were still toddlers. The house was loud, the laundry piles high, and I sat on the kitchen floor surrounded by half-folded towels and tears I didn’t expect. My body whispered what my soul had been saying all along: You need to stop. That day, I didn’t check another box. I laid down. Literally. I let the noise carry on without me and just breathed. And in that breathing room, I began to see blessings that had been there all along—the way sunlight hit the floor, the sound of giggles down the hall, the smell of warm detergent on clean clothes. Gratitude returned, not because I finally did more, but because I finally did less. Sabbath as Resistance In a world that worships hustle, Sabbath is a quiet act of rebellion. Choosing to rest isn’t lazy—it’s holy. It’s declaring, “I am not what I produce. I am beloved even in my stillness.” Every time we set aside a day—or even an hour—to rest, we realign our hearts with Heaven’s pace. We remember that gratitude isn’t something we must earn; it’s something we notice when the noise fades. Rest becomes the soil where thankfulness grows. **If you want to learn more about Sabbath, check out our past blog, “How to Sabbath Well in a Busy World (Without the Guilt)” Creating Breathing Room If your days feel packed to the brim, start small. This week, I want to challenge you to create what I call a “quiet gratitude hour.” No phone. No scrolling. No multitasking. Just presence. Maybe it’s early in the morning with a cup of coffee before anyone wakes up. Maybe it’s on a walk around the block or sitting in the car line without turning on the radio. Wherever it happens, let your mind wander long enough to notice the goodness around you. Note the warmth of sunlight on your face. The sound of your child’s laughter. The grace of your own heartbeat—steady and faithful. When we make space, gratitude slips in through the silence. This Week’s Reflection
Takeaway: Gratitude doesn’t grow in the rush—it blooms in the rest. When we slow down enough to notice, we find that God’s goodness was never hiding; we were just moving too fast to see it. 
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