By Joy K. Massenburge, @JoyMassenburge
Plan to do… nothing!
Yes, I said it. And I mean it. Pull your calendar out and block off time to do nothing. Whether that is a one-hour block of time, a day, or a week, each person must determine what works best with their lifestyle. I took a total of three days to recover from the recent ACFW National Conference so I could experience what Psalm 46:10 means when it says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
When referencing, “Be still,” or rapha in Hebrew, I learned I needed to practice being weak, letting go, and releasing my cares to Him. How will I ever learn how much stronger He is if I never surrender?
Instead of coming home and getting right to work on an updated proposal for my agent to send to the acquisition editor who requested my latest book, I scheduled a day of rest. I was so tired. I never sleep well away from my spouse and in a strange bed. Then, there are the early morning risings and the late-night bedtimes.
Can you relate?
Don’t feel guilty about this scheduled down time. Spend an extra moment doing something fun. Take a nap. Or turn off the alarms and sleep in with your spouse, reminding them they are the most important person in your life.
*Benefits of allowing yourself to rest:
- Better mental health
- Increased concentration and memory
- Healthier immune system
- Reduced stress
- Improved mood
- Better metabolism
Next, when referencing “and know” in Hebrew, I realized knowing doesn’t just happen. We must learn in order to know. Learning to know my core values helped me to rest more. Second to God, my family is my WHY. More than signing my next book contract, I want to better my health to be here for my family. To serve them. And leave a legacy.
Instead of coming home and reading through notes and applying those concepts to update my manuscript immediately, I scheduled a day to reconnect with my children, my grandchildren, and my elderly mother, who I help care for. Answering their questions about my trip, sharing pictures, and laughing with the people I love allows them to be a part of my writing life and feeds my creative juices.
To learn how to identify your core values, start by answering the following questions:
- What keeps me up at night.?
- What would I die for?
If you have trouble answering, go to my website, www.joykmassenburge.com and register for a free consult.
Finally, when referencing, “am God,” in Hebrew, I am reminded that He is the one true God. I know I am to worship Him and no other.
Instead of attacking my to-do list, I scheduled a day to reflect over the conference and all that He has done. All that I learned. Every door opened. The relationships I’ve been blessed to make and cultivate. And to tell God, “Thank you!”
On the fourth day, I was mentally, physically, and spiritually ready to take the advice I often give to my Mindset Accountability clients. I combed through my conference notes and choosing one to three concepts I could apply in my daily action steps so … say it with me like I do for you on my Psalms 119 YouTube Channel…I can be productive and a JOY to someone else.
Because I want the same outcome for you, take my advice. After the conference, schedule a time to rest, reconnect with family, and reflect on all the things God has done, and worship Him with thanksgiving. And if life will not permit you to take a day, schedule a moment over a coffee or tea.
As the teenaged pastor’s daughter of New Hope Church, Sharonda Peterson knew finding comfort in Carl’s arms was a mistake. But how could the only night she ever felt beautiful be wrong?
When Carl leaves town to pursue an acting and singing career, Sharonda relegates herself to a life of church service–and solitude–rather than face the pain now associated with that one night.
Carl Ray Everhart has been caught up in the fast pace of fame … and female adoration. But a near-death experience has him questioning everything and vowing to set things straight … starting with the love that got away.
When Carl returns home to sere as the worship leader at New Hope, Sharonda finds that it takes every ounce of her resolve to resist his pursuits … not to mention memories that threaten to overturn the delicate balance she’s created. Can she finally surrender the one thing she’s tried all these years to protect: her heart?
Author and speaker, Joy K. Massenburge, crafts the love stories of pastors and their kids. She was born the sixth child of a pastor. She married a football player turned pastor…they raised pastor’s kids; a son and two daughters.
Her contemporary romance debut novel “A Heart Surrendered” is a top-seller. She is also the audio voice of Beatrice “Mama B” Jackson in author, Michelle Stimpson’s Mama B Book series. When she is not writing or recording, she is speaking at retreats and conferences. Believing it is better to give than receive, she serves as American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW East Texas Writers) chapter’s President.
If ever you visit Tyler, Texas, you can find her curled up on her back-porch swing reading a good book with her four grandchildren, caretaking for her donkey and a dog, or filling her five-acre country home with fifty-plus people for a Blue Bell ice cream party.