Just Do It

​In a world screaming the mantra of "self-care," one has to wonder of Nike actually got something right. Just do it. Even if it hurts. Even if you don't like it. Some things just have to be done.

Browsing YouTube (or any social media platform these days) you are bound to bump into at least one voice intent on convincing you that you work too hard, you deserve a little Me Time, if a job or a hobby or a person causes you undue stress, then by all means quit!

Today I'm here to be the online voice that says there is a difference between rest and just being lazy. 

Rest is a Biblical principle enacted by God from the very beginning of the world. He worked. It was good. And He rested. The so-called Self Care movement sweeping a nation has turned that principle on its head. "Work to the best of your ability, and rest because God has commanded it" has become simply "do whatever makes you happy" and in the process, they ruined the very thing they set out to find. Rest only exists if you have something to rest from. We were created to be workmen, to be diligent in what we've been given, to do the hard things even when we don't want to. Do what makes you happy? Happiness is an emotion, based on circumstance. You will never hang onto it for long. 

I am guilty as the next of thinking that I deserve to let go of priorities, slack here or there because I got a headache just thinking about it, slow down because it wasn't bringing me enjoyment. And yes, there are boundaries, but you know what else? Not everything in life is supposed to make you comfy and happy. 

I appreciate a quiet Saturday morning after working out for an hour the five mornings before. I enjoy trail riding with my horses after spending countless days and weeks sweating in the round pen and working out the kinks. Bread tastes better, music sounds sweeter, schoolyears come to a satisfying close as long as you put in the work. 

There is a time for rest. There is a time for work. Not everything is going to be enjoyable, but to all of the up-and-coming adults out there who are tempted by the world's mantra of "only do what makes you happy"...life is work. 

And God said it is good.