Read: 1 Samuel 1:2-10
Have you taken the “holy hustle” quiz, either in the book or on the book page? If you haven’t, take a moment to do that (you can find it here). If you’ve taken it before, go ahead and do it again today. Where did you land? If it’s your second time taking it, are you in the same place, or have you moved?
There are any number of reasons that we might find ourselves sliding on that scale (even on a daily basis!), but identifying the things that send us away from that sweet spot of holy hustle will help us know when to adjust our work and our rest. Sometimes we’ll find ourselves striving because of outward pressures, or internal expectations. Maybe a circumstance with a friend makes us avoid our responsibilities, or doubt that we can make a difference. If we can identify what sends us sliding, maybe we can stop giving it such control over our lives.
Can I tell you one very real, very honest struggle that sends me flying out of “holy hustle” and into striving or laziness?
Comparison.
When I look around at what she’s doing, what they have, or what she has been invited to do, I typically do one of two things. I either scramble, or I hide. I decide to stop waiting on God and start working to build up my own kingdom, or I throw in the towel and figure “why bother?” It usually starts from a good place, where I’m interested in seeing what someone is doing so I can encourage them, or exploring new ways to make myself better at a certain element of my job.
But I need to be careful. Because I’m now aware of my weaknesses, I can do a better job of guarding my heart and mind from the tempting distraction of comparison or pride. Those distractions? They’re what keep me from staying right where God needs me, from doing the very work He’s given me.
Today, my prayer is that our eyes would not only be opened to the stumbling blocks we need to watch for, but that our feet would find themselves firmly planted right where God has us –following His model of work and rest.