The Hustle

‘We can still be productive when we rest in God, and let Him lead.’
Magnify Collective, 2020

I feel like something isn’t considered great unless you can testify to having worked sleepless nights on it. It’s weird because I craved those moments that everyone described and not for any reason than just to be able to say it. To be able to say I did an all-nighter despite the fact that the first time I did an all-nighter, I still received a ‘let my people go’ mark. To be able to sigh as I recounted how I gave in that essay 2 minutes before the deadline. To be able to list out the 50+ firms I applied to. Now this is definitely not me trying to throw shade because that will never be a good look but it’s just expressing what I hear majority of the time and how it’s influenced what I view ‘hard work’ as.

I remember feeling conflicted because in my final year, I’d never laughed so hard. Yes there was a lot of work but never once did I feel overly stressed and anxious like I was almost expected to. I walked around with a smile on my face on most days, loving my living situation and the people I got to hold conversations with every evening; looking forward to church on Sundays and bonding with my beautiful roommate. Don’t get me wrong, there were difficult moments, painful moments but for the most part, I don’t think I experienced what everyone had made seem was a rite of passage. If anything the majority of ‘stress’ came from my society participation, LOL but that’s another story for another day. (Still don’t regret any moment of that experience though!)

I don’t know if this sounds ignorant or naive to the experience that a lot of people have especially during their final year of university and that is by no means my intention here. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’d love for us to normalise certain tasks not being anxiety-ridden and inducing heart palpitations to prove to ourselves that it’s a task well done. Maybe just having a great time doing your work, putting on a good album and dancing during your breaks can also be classified as you ‘working hard.’ Maybe longer laughs can also be part of the process and washing those dishes that have been piled up can also be considered a productive use of one’s time.

Ultimately, I feel we should all spend more time getting to know ourselves. Getting to understand our style/mode of working and staying authentic to that. Even if there are statistics to prove that certain things work out a specific way, let’s be encouraged to question those statistics from time to time and redefine what ‘the hustle’ looks like for us.

Just some thoughts…

SOUND OF JERICHO

So a friend of mine recommended this song to me and ever since it has been such a beautiful reminder to pause in His presence. To truly recognise that even in the hustle and bustle of life, prioritising time spent in God’s presence is probably the best decision I could ever make. And to choose to make that decision daily is what will bring about a true sense of peace, clarity and furthermore direction. I know a lot of young people struggle with the last concept because many times, God can seem like a distant figment of our imagination, like someone who is great to have a cute cry about as they play the piano at church but not necessarily a God who is about that action, right?

But this song not only creates an atmosphere of true rest (which I think we all collectively need to prioritise more) but it encourages us to draw strength from Him, to view Him as the ‘true vine’ and to know that He is the source – the beginning, middle and end. Even when working on the most gruelling of projects, we remember to eat right? or at least drink something for sustenance. Imagine if we saw God like that. As the true vine who gives us everything we need to get by, who is about that action and furthermore is simply the greatest company. Love in its purest form. I am constantly reminded that:

‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing’
Psalm 16:2 NIV

I am reminded that I truly can do absolutely nothing without Him (John 15:5). And so, I will abide. I choose to abide and to trust that in His presence not only is there fullness of joy but every other thing I need for he knows my needs before they are even made known to me. He is my everything and deserves my praise.

I pray you are blessed as you listen; ‘Mvini (Rest in You)’ by We Will Worship.