It’s hard to believe July is almost over, but the end of the month means it’s time for another guest blog! This week’s is written by Dr. Jill Parsons! We met Jill and her husband at Liberty Church a couple years ago. Jill is marked by wisdom, generosity, and joy! I pray we can all pause long enough to receive her timely, inspiring words!

Hustle is the Opposite of Heart by Jill Parsons

“Try to keep your soul always in peace and quiet, always ready for whatever our Lord may wish to work in you.” – Ignatius of Loyola

Do you ever feel like you’ve lost a bit of yourself – a bit of your passion, your drive, your joy – in the hustle and busyness of life?

I just finished up a season of my life where I worked 70+ hours per week, caring for the sick while trying to keep my own sanity. It was hard work, meaningful work at that, but somewhere along the way my soul became tired and I became kind of robotic. I was striving for efficiency in everything I did. Not just efficiency in seeing patients, but even seeking efficiency in my relationships – something I told myself I would never do.

Even in the busyness, I clung to Jesus to help me through the hard times, and somehow patients still perceived me as being calm, compassionate, and caring. Looking back, I know this was the work of the Holy Spirit – reminding me that He is still in control of the care these patients receive no matter how my soul was feeling that day. Thankfully, He was also faithful to use the dry wilderness of medical school and residency to develop my character.

Now that the Lord has faithfully brought me to the other side of these 11 years – to my “Promised Land” of becoming an attending physician, I am in a season of complete quiet and rest. While I’m learning to trust and wait on God to bring my next steps to fruition, I find myself really uncomfortable in the stillness. These past 3 years have been defined by fast-paced efficiency and learning to live on little sleep, and in the chaos, I have forgotten how to rest – how to refuel my soul.

In comes the faithfulness of God to lay it on a trusted friend’s heart to send me just what I needed. A great Jesus-loving friend who graduated 2 years before me sent me a book, Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist as a graduation present. The book was accompanied by a note saying how this book was exactly what she needed after she graduated to slow down and refuel her soul. I haven’t read a single book in the last 3 years – I never had the time, energy, or desire to do so.  

In this book, Shauna emphasizes the importance of having a foundation of stillness in our lives – it is in these moments the Lord can speak clearly to us, restore our souls, renew us. And when things get busy, stressful, or chaotic – we can bring our minds back to the peace we experienced in our stillness. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This sounds beautiful and wonderful – but how can I do this when I’m no longer in this season of nothing-but-stillness and go back to a 50+ hours of work per week?  

I believe the answer is margin. Our bodies and souls are not meant to run 24/7 – we are meant to operate most efficiently when we are properly fueled by the Lord. He is inviting us to incorporate some margin into our lives so we can regularly be fueled by the One who knows us intimately.

While I still have much to learn in this area, I trust that the Lord will bring to completion this work He’s begun in me. I trust that He knows what’s best for me and that’s not something I want to miss out on.

I invite you to also accept the Lord’s invitation to stillness, to building the margin in your life necessary to receive from Him. It will take effort and some life-rearranging, but I believe it is worth it. With that, I’d like to leave you with this quote:

“In seasons of deep transformation, silence will be your greatest guide. Even if it’s scary, especially if it’s scary, let silence be your anchor, your sacred space, your dwelling place.” – Shauna Niequist