Word of the Year for 2016: Rest

My word of the year for 2016 is Rest. 

This is the first year I have actually picked a Word of the Year and I am really excited about it. 

I have worked really, really hard over the last several years. Being a full-time freelancer meant that I’ve had to constantly hustle. Hustle to bring in more work and hustle to squeeze enough jobs in each day while leaving time for travel. I’ve worked more Saturdays, late evenings, and early mornings than I care to count.

Paying cash for my husband’s schooling has been a good decision, but with it has come the need to constantly keep working to pay for the ever rising cost of tuition, while trying to keep costs low here on the home front. 

Over the last six months, I kicked my work load into over gear as I picked up a second job and more free-lance work. The extra work has paid off with another year of tuition paid for without the need to drain all my other accounts (saving for annual bills). The annual bill accounts all have healthy amounts in them. 

But I am worn out. 

The only reason I have been able to go for so long while working so much is the daily strength I get from God. As a Christian, I have found God to be my only source of strength and provision and I have to tap into His strength multiple times a day. He has provided all the work, the ability to pay off our debts, live on a budget, and pay cash for school, while keeping me from having a breakdown. 

He is calling me to rest and has been for a couple years now. I didn’t take the time to rest before, worried that we weren’t going to make it financially and knowing that the burden of providing for my family has been placed solely on my shoulders for the time being.

I didn’t see how I could rest. 

And honestly, I don’t know how to rest well.

Questions flood my mind along with false guilt anytime I try to rest… 

Shouldn’t you be always doing something productive?

And what about that to-do list that grows at an ever increasing rate? What do you do that is ‘resting’?

If you don’t work, you won’t get paid and what if there’s not enough money for school and all the bills. 

Yet, as I continued pushing myself  and striving for more, my health started slipping. Sleep was not restful, nor was I getting enough. I was constantly in a rush, from the moment my alarm went off to the second I laid my head down on my pillow at night. Peace was fleeting and joy had turned into suffocating obligation.  

The call to rest has kept getting stronger and I know I need to obey. I cannot continue in this manner without causing damage physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. 

I am finally heeding the call to rest. 

I am so thankful that God has allowed me to save up enough money for the spring tuition payment before it is due, while keeping my annual accounts in tact.

So how will I be resting more? 

• First of all, I am starting to get off the computer by 8:30p, regardless if I am still in the middle of something, and give myself time to wind down. I am aiming to be in bed by 9:30p-10p. 
• I am going to jog at least three days a week, which means my work day will have to start a little bit later on those days. 
• I am planning to not work on Saturdays nor in the evenings any longer, unless it is the rare exception, and I am going to limit my work week to 40 hours or less. 
• I am also actively pursuing ways to work smarter and not harder. Accepting work from clients who pay more and developing passive income streams from this blog are two examples. 
• I am looking for ways  to decrease stress and live more simply, taking time to enjoy the beautiful moments I am given.

 I am going to look for moments of rest each day and will document some of them on my Instagram page, if you wanted to follow along.  

What does that mean for CWAS? 

While there are lots of ideas to grow this blog and continue to writing helpful content for you, I am going to need to grow a little more slowly than I would like and I appreciate your patience. 

I will still continue to post at least once a week, maybe twice. You will start to see me take reader’s questions and answer them in a post. 

You will see old posts re-published on social media and you may see other writers guest posting here on occasion. I will still write guest posts on other sites, since I love doing that. 

However, I am not going to worry about what my numbers and stats look like. I am also going to not jump at every opportunity that comes my way without first carefully praying about it. 

I will be able to serve you more fully as I recharge. I think this year has some great things in store and I am excited to see how it will all come about as I take a step back to rest. 

Acknowledging that God has always provided for our needs and will continue to do so, will strengthen my trust in Him as I look to see how He will provide without my constant striving and working less. 

I am looking to reclaim a peaceful life, restore joy, deepen relationships, manage my home in a better manner, and find refreshment for my spirit as I rest in the coming year. 

What is your word of the year?