A Soulful Sunday message about slowing down, giving yourself grace, and remembering that you are human too.
Sis…
Let me start this Soulful Sunday with a confession.
I have been SO busy lately that apparently I no longer know what day of the week it is. 😩😂
Tuesday came and went.
No post.
Thursday pulled up.
Still nothing.
And then Sunday got here and I ALMOST forgot about y’all again. 😂
My bad, sis!
I promise I didn’t disappear.
Life has just been LIFE-ING.
Between work, responsibilities, goals, family, ministry, business, trying to remember what I walked into a room for 😂, and everything else that comes with being a grown woman…
Your girl has been BUSY.
And while I was thinking about what I wanted to share for Soulful Sunday, I realized something:
Maybe this IS the message.
Because how many of us have been doing so much that we start beating ourselves up when we forget something, fall behind, need a break, or simply cannot do everything?
So today I want to remind you of something I had to remind myself:
GIVE YOURSELF SOME GRACE.
You are doing a lot.
YOU ARE A PERSON, NOT A MACHINE
Somewhere along the way, we started treating exhaustion like an accomplishment.
We praise ourselves for running on four hours of sleep.
We brag about being booked and busy.
We answer emails while eating.
We think about work while resting.
We handle everybody else’s needs before checking in with ourselves.
And then when our minds finally say:
“Girl, enough.”
We get frustrated with ourselves.
Why am I so tired?
Why can’t I focus?
Why did I forget that?
Why am I not getting more done?
Because you are HUMAN, sis. 😂
Your brain gets tired.
Your body gets tired.
Your emotions get tired.
Even Jesus rested.
So why do we think we have to function like we’re exempt from human limitations?
EVERYTHING DOESN’T HAVE TO GET DONE TODAY
Read that again.
Everything does not have to get done today.
Some things can wait until tomorrow.
Some things can wait until next week.
And some things might not need to be done at all.
Sometimes our stress isn’t coming from what God requires of us.
It’s coming from unrealistic expectations we’ve placed on ourselves.
We create a list of 27 things and then feel like failures because we only completed 14.
Meanwhile…
FOURTEEN THINGS?!
Girl, sit down somewhere. 😂
You accomplished something.
Celebrate that.
PRODUCTIVITY IS NOT YOUR IDENTITY
This is important.
You are not more valuable on the days when you accomplish everything.
And you are not less valuable on the days when you barely accomplish anything.
Your worth is not measured by your productivity.
God does not love you more because your checklist is completed.
You are loved because you are His.
Period.
Before the business.
Before the ministry.
Before the career.
Before the titles.
Before the accomplishments.
Before anybody needed anything from you…
You were already worthy of love.
SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO CHECK YOUR CAPACITY
Sis, we talk a lot about checking our schedules.
But sometimes we need to check our capacity.
Just because you technically have time for something doesn’t mean you have the emotional or mental capacity for it.
Your calendar might say:
“I have two free hours.”
Meanwhile your nervous system is saying:
“Ma’am, we need to lie down.” 😂
Listen to yourself.
Sometimes wisdom sounds like:
“Not today.”
“I’ll respond tomorrow.”
“I cannot commit to that right now.”
“I need help.”
“I need rest.”
Those are complete sentences.
GIVE YOURSELF THE GRACE YOU GIVE EVERYBODY ELSE
This one got me.
Because many of us are incredibly understanding with other people.
Someone tells us:
“I’m sorry I forgot.”
We say:
“Girl, don’t worry about it!”
They say:
“I’ve been overwhelmed.”
We say:
“Take care of yourself.”
They say:
“I need a break.”
We say:
“You deserve one.”
But when WE forget something?
Suddenly we become the strictest supervisor on earth. 😂
“How could you forget?”
“You should’ve done better.”
“You’re falling behind.”
Sis…
Talk to yourself the way you would talk to someone you love.
You deserve compassion too.
GOD’S GRACE DOESN’T RUN OUT WHEN YOUR ENERGY DOES
One of the beautiful things about God is that He already knows our limitations.
Psalm 103:14 says:
“For He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.”
God knows we get tired.
He knows we become overwhelmed.
He knows we forget.
He knows sometimes our best looks different from day to day.
And still…
Grace.
Not shame.
Grace.
Not condemnation.
Grace.
Not “You should have done more.”
Grace says:
“Come here. Rest. Let’s try again.”
BUSY DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN PRODUCTIVE
And while we’re giving ourselves grace, we also need to be honest.
Sometimes being constantly busy is a sign that something needs to change.
Maybe everything on your plate doesn’t belong there.
Maybe you’ve said yes too many times.
Maybe something needs to be delegated.
Maybe your schedule needs breathing room.
Maybe God isn’t asking you to become better at juggling.
Maybe He’s asking you to put some things down.
Because peace should have a place on your calendar too.
📖 SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28
I love that Jesus didn’t say:
“Come to Me once you finish everything.”
He said:
Come tired.
Come burdened.
Come overwhelmed.
Come exactly as you are.
And I will give you rest.
🌸 SOUL WORK FOR THIS WEEK
Ask yourself:
What am I doing right now simply because I feel obligated?
What can wait?
What can I delegate?
Where do I need to say no?
Have I been measuring my worth by how productive I am?
When was the last time I rested without feeling guilty?
And finally:
What would giving myself grace actually look like this week?
🤎 CLOSING WORD
Sis…
If you forgot something this week…
Grace.
If you didn’t accomplish everything you planned…
Grace.
If you had to cancel something…
Grace.
If you needed more sleep…
Grace.
If you weren’t as productive as you wanted to be…
Grace.
And apparently, if you forgot Tuesday, Thursday, AND almost Sunday…
GRACE. 😩😂
I’m preaching to myself now.
We are allowed to be works in progress.
We are allowed to have full lives.
We are allowed to get tired.
We are allowed to adjust.
We are allowed to rest.
And we are allowed to start again tomorrow.
So this week, don’t just ask:
“What do I need to accomplish?”
Also ask:
“What do I need?”
Maybe the answer is prayer.
Maybe it’s organization.
Maybe it’s boundaries.
Maybe it’s help.
Maybe it’s an evening doing absolutely NOTHING.
Whatever it is, listen.
Because you don’t have to run yourself into the ground trying to prove that you can handle everything.
You were never supposed to.
God’s got you.
Now give yourself a little grace too.
And to everybody who was looking for me Tuesday and Thursday…
MY BAD, Y’ALL. 😩😂😂
I’m back.
Happy Soulful Sunday, sis. 🤎✨
— Your Girl Keysha
