The Day I Chose Peace Over Productivity
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Hey sis,
I need to tell you about a Tuesday that changed everything for me.
It was one of those mornings where my to-do list was longer than my patience, and I was already behind before my feet hit the floor. You know the feeling? That immediate anxiety that starts buzzing in your chest the moment you wake up and remember everything you "should" be doing.
I was standing in my kitchen, tea in one hand, phone in the other, mentally calculating how I could squeeze 12 hours of tasks into an 8-hour day. The familiar weight of overwhelm was settling on my shoulders like an old, heavy coat I couldn't take off.
That's when I heard it.
The Still Small Voice
It wasn't audible, but it was clear as day: "What if you didn't?"
I paused, tea cup halfway to my lips. What if I didn't what?
"What if you didn't try to do it all today? What if you chose peace over productivity?"
Now, let me tell you, my first instinct was to argue with this voice. I had people depending on me, deadlines looming, expectations to meet. How could I just... not?
But something about that moment felt sacred. Like God was inviting me into a different way of being that I'd forgotten was even possible.
The Experiment
So I did something radical. I put my phone down.
I sat on my couch in the middle of a Tuesday morning and I just breathed. I watched the sunlight stream through my windows. I listened to the birds outside. I let myself exist without an agenda for exactly ten minutes.
And you know what happened? The world didn't end.
My work didn't disappear, but somehow it felt more manageable. The urgency that had been driving me felt less... urgent. Like I'd been carrying an invisible weight I didn't even know was there, and suddenly I could breathe deeper.
The Revelation
In those ten minutes, I realized something profound: I had been living my life as if rest was a luxury I had to earn, as if peace was a destination I could only reach after I'd crossed off every item on my endless list.
But what if rest wasn't the reward for productivity? What if peace wasn't something I had to achieve?
What if both were gifts I could simply... receive?
This thought felt revolutionary and terrifying at the same time. Revolutionary because it meant freedom. Terrifying because it meant I'd been doing things the hard way for years.
The Ripple Effect
That one choice, to sit still for ten minutes on a Tuesday morning, started something in me. Not because sitting still was magical, but because it reminded me of something I'd forgotten:
I am not a human doing. I am a human being.
The rest of that day unfolded differently. I moved with more intention and less frenzy. I said no to two things that would have stretched me thin. I actually tasted my lunch instead of eating it while checking emails.
And at the end of the day, I realized I'd accomplished everything that truly mattered, but from a place of peace instead of panic.
The Garden Parable
This reminds me of something Jesus said about lilies of the field. He pointed to these flowers and essentially said, "Look at them. They don't strive or struggle or worry about tomorrow. They just bloom where they're planted, and they're more beautiful than anything human effort could create."
I used to think this was just pretty spiritual language. Now I wonder if Jesus was teaching us something practical about the power of receiving instead of achieving.
What if our most beautiful life isn't the one we force into existence through sheer willpower, but the one we allow to unfold when we create space for it to breathe?
The Question That Changes Everything
Here's what I've been thinking about ever since that Tuesday: What if the life you're striving so hard to create is actually waiting for you in the stillness you're too busy to embrace?
I'm not talking about being lazy or irresponsible. I'm talking about moving from a place of peace instead of panic. About making decisions from rest instead of rushing. About trusting that there's enough time for what truly matters when we stop filling every moment with what doesn't.
A Simple Invitation
I'm not going to give you a long list of things to do (we both have enough of those). Instead, I want to offer you the same invitation I received that Tuesday morning:
What if you didn't?
What if you didn't check your phone first thing in the morning, just for one day?
What if you didn't say yes to that thing that makes your stomach tight when you think about it?
What if you didn't try to be everything to everyone today?
What if you gave yourself permission to just... be?
The Permission You've Been Waiting For
Sis, I don't know what your Tuesday morning looks like, but I know this: the invitation to peace is always there, waiting for you to accept it.
That love is your foundation. Everything else is just details.
Maybe it's time to build your life from that truth instead of running from it.
What do you think would happen if you did?
With love and a little extra grace today,
Kalyn
What moments have changed your perspective on rest and productivity? I'd love to hear your story. Drop it in the comments below!
If this reflection resonated with you, you might also enjoy:
- Shopping my collection of workbooks and journals designed to help you live with intention
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- Exploring what faith-based life coaching might look like for your own journey
Kalyn Fahie is a faith-based life coach, author, and advocate for women who are ready to break free from survival mode and step into the abundant life God designed for them. She writes from her home in St. Thomas, USVI, where she's learning to live what she teaches.