This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission from purchased products at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

A story of how leaning into a season of rest presented powerful new opportunities for personal and professional growth.

This guest post is part of a series on Sabbath Rest for Small Church Ministry LLC, where we help women create joy & success in small church ministry. Any opinions expressed within this blog post are those of the author and not necessarily held by Small Church Ministry.

Personal & Professional Growth Often Comes From Leaning Into A Season Of Rest

I can still picture the out-of-body experience I had six months ago when I felt God’s tug at my heart. While He was signaling that it was time to get off the treadmill of trying to do it all in both work and parenting, I was frantically searching for the off button. What I needed was rest and yet, I couldn’t seem to find a way to hit pause long enough to catch my breath.

The idea of true rest, the kind God was calling me to, was scary — terrifying actually. It meant sacrificing income by stepping back from the job that required me to trade time for money. Without paid leave, I couldn’t just head to the mountains for a week and come back refreshed. A financial sacrifice had to happen if I were to take a vacation. 

Taking a bigger rest, the kind I knew God really wanted me to take, meant getting comfortable in discomfort, not knowing what our household finances would look like. I’d have to say goodbye to the professional path I was on to become the parent I wanted to be.

I chose the latter and took a blind leap into a new direction with my career for the sake of having more time with my two and four-year-old — and boy am I glad I did. 

Rest Requires Childlike Faith

The term childlike faith is an interesting one. It’s often referred to as going in the way of God’s truth without asking questions. As a mom to two preschoolers, I believe it means something a little different. 

My kids ask questions every day about why things are the way they are, why I’m asking them to choose one path over the other, and what the consequences would be if they did something I’ve asked them not to do (like climb higher than they should on a playground). I believe God wants us to continue to ask similar questions. 

  • Why did you give me these challenges/blessings?
  • Why do you want me to take this path over another?
  • What happens if I push this boundary a little further?

Questions are a wonderful gateway to understanding God’s love for us and desires for our lives. Sure, accepting the gospel at the surface level is faithful, but like any parent/child relationship, I actually believe it takes us further from where our Father wants us to go. We miss out when we stumble along blindly without asking questions, stopping us from ever truly knowing God’s truths.

When I felt God tugging (rather strongly, if I do say so myself) at my heart to take a step back and reevaluate how I supported my family, I asked questions. A lot of questions, actually. I prayed fervently wanting to see His clear direction for me but never getting that crystal clear path laid out ahead. Isn’t it funny how God works that way? Delightfully mysterious.

In Luke 18:17, the Bible says:

“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

I knew I needed to listen to what God had put on my heart. I knew I needed to listen, lean in, and rest so I could tune out the noise and tune into God’s desires for me.

Back to that moment when I knew it was time to separate from the identity I’d grown so comfortable in — a career woman with kids. I picked up my phone and sent my boss a voice memo. My heart raced. My palms were sweaty. I felt as though I’d floated out of my body, watching myself say goodbye to a wonderful position so I could lean further into my role as a mom. 

Fast forward less than 60 days after that moment and I now know why I felt that tug. A pandemic was coming. Schools were closing. My kids needed me and had I continued to work at full throttle like I had been — getting up at 3 a.m. to work before the kids woke up, redirecting my toddler’s attention to screentime so I could carve out some focused time, or shushing them while on conference calls — I couldn’t have given my kids what they needed.

Taking A Leap Of Faith

When I got baptized, one thing my church asked of me was to choose a favorite bible verse. I chose Matthew 17:20, which says:

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

I had faith in this new direction, even before the pandemic. Shortly after sending that voice memo, I went for a run (one of my favorite ways of resting). While out in the sun, air, and quiet, the path started to become clearer. I knew what He wanted me to create. I knew who He wanted me to reach. The pathway to devoting more time with my kids became clear. Without rest or taking a giant leap of faith, I never would’ve entered into this new season. 

A Season For Rest

It’s hard to feel as though you’re closing a door on opportunity. Yet, the Bible makes it clear that there are different seasons in life.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says:

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

We might not always recognize the season we’re in. In my case, I’d woven my identity too tightly with where my ego wanted me to be rather than where God needed me. While my kids have always and will always come first, I still found myself going down the slippery slope of losing time with them at such a precious age for the sake of business. 

I didn’t want to operate like that anymore and, more importantly, I knew God didn’t either. And so, into a new season, I went.

Moving blindly into a new season requires a leap of faith. The shift is uncomfortable, and because of that, it requires rest during the transition. It requires a step back so you can truly hear God’s voice guiding you to where He wants you to go. Stay enveloped by the noise and you’ll miss those critical cues. 

I haven’t given up on work entirely. Instead, I’ve grown into a new role that’s better suited for where I am now. 

Today, I run a coaching business for moms called The Focus-Driven Biz where I help them embrace time with their kids while still bringing in money for their families. I teach rather than trade time with my kids for money. In taking this approach I’ve become more present as a parent. I’ve shed stress, and in doing so, have had God-given opportunities to continue to earn an income for my family.

Had I not taken that rest …

I’d have missed so much of God’s beauty in my life.

Kimberly Crossland is the owner and founder of The Focus-Driven Biz, a company designed to keep entrepreneurs present, productive, and profitable. The goal of her work is to inspire meaningful change through the power of a strategic, thoughtful approach to business. In her free time, you can find her looking for a new adventure together with her two toddlers.

Read More

Blessed Bits: Finding Time For Sabbath Rest When You’re A Busy Mama

Creating Space: 5 Steps To Plan Your Own Silent Retreat