faith unfaded

Some days hand you an unexpected gift — a clear square on the calendar that you didn’t see coming. Mine showed up earlier this week. At first, I felt that old tug to fill it: to go, to do, to produce. There was a part of me that thought, Well, I should probably go check something off the list.

But another voice — the quieter, steadier one — whispered, What if you didn’t?

That’s when I realized how easily I slip from serving with joy to operating out of obligation. I love what I do. I love writing, serving, connecting, helping. Yet when the “have-to’s” start crowding out the “want-to’s,” even the good things start losing their shine.

I believe God built joy into obedience, not busyness. When we’re walking in step with His rhythm, the work still takes effort, but it fills rather than drains. Obligation, on the other hand, runs on self-imposed pressure — on saying yes because we don’t want to disappoint someone instead of saying yes because we feel His nudge.

That’s been my quiet filter this week: asking myself if the next thing on my list is something that’s calling me or something that’s draining me. One brings peace; the other brings panic. One leaves room for gratitude; the other breeds resentment.

I’m learning that joy isn’t found in doing everything — it’s found in doing the right things with the right heart.

So I spent my free day doing what refreshed my spirit instead of crossing off items on my to-do list. And in that simple shift, the day became sacred again.

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” — Nehemiah 8:10