🌿 Episode 24: The Weight We’re Not Meant to Carry
Rooted for Growth Podcast | Week 1: Rest
Published on November 4, 2025
There’s a strange kind of pride that hides in our exhaustion.
We tell ourselves that staying busy means we’re being faithful, that pushing harder means we’re being responsible, and that slowing down would somehow mean we’re falling behind.
But what if God never asked us to live that way?
What if the pressure we feel to keep everything together isn’t coming from Him at all?
We live in a culture that celebrates hustle but forgets holiness. We measure days by productivity, not peace. Yet Scripture reminds us again and again that true growth doesn’t come from constant striving—it comes from abiding. Jesus didn’t say, “Come to Me, and I’ll give you a longer to-do list.” He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 KJV)
🌾 The Rest Beneath the Noise
Real rest isn’t about naps or vacations—though those are good things. It’s about learning to quiet the noise within. Rest happens when our souls stop trying to earn what Christ has already given us: love, acceptance, purpose, and grace.
There’s a rest that only comes when we trust God with the parts of life we can’t control. It’s the kind of peace that shows up when we finally admit that we’re tired—not just physically, but spiritually. When we let go of the illusion that we can carry it all, we discover the truth: we were never meant to.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Stillness isn’t weakness. It’s surrender. It’s choosing to trust that God can hold what we’ve been gripping too tightly.
🌧 A Quiet Trust
I remember a season when my calendar looked full but my heart felt empty. I was saying yes to every opportunity, every request, every need—trying to prove that I could keep going. But late one night, I realized something had shifted. The things that once brought joy had started to feel like obligations. I wasn’t just tired; I was weary.
That’s when I sensed God whisper, “You’ve mistaken movement for progress.”
It was a gentle correction—a reminder that spiritual growth isn’t about how much we do, but how closely we walk with Him while we’re doing it.
🌙 The Invitation of Rest
Rest isn’t laziness; it’s an act of faith. It’s believing that God can handle what happens while you pause. It’s trusting that your worth isn’t tied to how much you produce, but to who you are in Him.
Hebrews 4:9–10 says, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.”
That’s the invitation—to stop striving long enough to remember that the world doesn’t rest on your shoulders. It rests on His.
🌤 Finding Your Rhythm
Maybe this week, rest looks like taking a walk without your phone. Maybe it’s sitting in silence before you open your Bible. Maybe it’s giving yourself permission to say no to something good so you can say yes to something holy.
The point isn’t to perfect your schedule—it’s to protect your soul. When we create rhythms of rest, we make space for God to renew what our busyness has drained. And when we live from rest instead of racing toward it, we start to experience the kind of peace that changes everything.
Take this week to slow down.
Let your worth be rooted in who you are, not what you accomplish.
And if you’d like to walk through this journey of renewal more intentionally, explore Week 1 of Rooted for Growth: A 7-Week Journey to God’s Word for Your Season.
Each week pairs with the podcast and offers prayer, reflection, and guided meditation to help you stay rooted—right where God has planted you.
👉 Get the devotional at WhitmanCollective.com/store
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