STOP! And listen to your thoughts.
Have you ever paid attention to the words you say to yourself?
“I have to get that done.”
“I have to go do this.”
“I have to take care of that too.
I heard myself say those very words, day after my chemo treatment (the loading treatment), when I have been told to “Stop” and rest.
Those words seem harmless—just mental reminders—but they quietly place pressure on the soul. Scripture reminds us that we were never designed to strive our way through life, but to abide.
Jesus says in John 15:4, “Abide in Me, and I in you.” Abiding is not rushed. It is not forced. It is not driven by obligation. Striving says, “I must,” while abiding says, “I trust.”
When our inner language is filled with “have to,” our hearts begin to live in performance mode. But God invites us into rest—into partnership, not pressure. From abiding flows obedience, fruit, and peace, not exhaustion.
Today, pause and listen to the words you say to yourself. Let them align with the truth. We are designed to have a relationship with God, and from that place, everything else finds its proper order.
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