Why We Need Seasons of Rest to Truly Grow

Winter is slowly loosening its grip, and spring begins to stretch awake.
With that awakening, we often feel an urgency that follows… a feeling like we should be off to the races, checking boxes, catching up, making sure everything is done and everyone is taken care of.

But have you ever noticed that as spring arrives, so does the rain?

It interrupts the sunlight.
Pauses the plans.
Keeps us inside just a little longer than we might like.

And yet… that rain is what sustains everything we enjoy about spring.

flowers by the window — ^{_{Photo by Lisa from Pexels on Pexels.com}}

The rain doesn’t rush the blooms. It prepares them.
Rest is much the same.

It can feel like an interruption… especially when everything in you is ready to go, go, go.
Like something is slowing you down when you’d rather be moving forward.

But what if it isn’t getting in the way?

What if it’s what allows anything to grow at all?

We often see rest as a delay… something that keeps us from doing what needs to be done.
But just like a season without rain leaves the ground dry and struggling, a life without rest leaves us depleted in ways we don’t always notice right away.

Intentional rest, like steady spring rain, doesn’t stop growth. It makes it possible.

glass window with curtain — _{^{Photo by Yana Kuyan on Pexels.com}}

Learning the Rhythm

I have always had a really hard time intentionally resting. I can pause during the day and watch… rain, people, water… but I tend to go until I’m burnt out.

Learning to balance and cycle the different schedules I have as a stay at home mom is, in itself, an artform that I am always struggling to reach.

When I got sick in 2023, it forced me to slow down and stop a lot of the things in my schedule and in doing so, also made me set up different ways in how I allot time mentally and physically.

I would have only so much energy for the day and it really put into perspective how much regular rest is really needed.

For me, finding balance was a necessary change that had to happen for my own health. I hope this gives you space to consider what might work for you, too.

Now, about 3 years later, I have come to recognize when I have to stop to avoid the burnout. So even if I don’t regularly plan rest, I will make time for it because I know that not doing so will cause more chaos when it catches up to me.

When Rest Needs an Invitation

You might wonder how this is possible…how you’re supposed to listen to your body when your days are full and your responsibilities don’t pause with you.

And maybe you’ve told yourself you’ll be fine. Maybe you are… for now.

But here’s the quiet truth we don’t always say out loud:

You don’t need everything to be done to deserve rest.
You don’t need permission from your schedule, your circumstances, or anyone around you.

You’re allowed to pause.
You’re allowed to take care of yourself.
You’re allowed to step away before you reach the point of burnout.

Not because everything is finished… but because you aren’t meant to run on empty in the first place.

Rest isn’t something you have to earn. It’s something you’re allowed to return to.

And sometimes, that’s all permission needs to be… a quiet decision to stop, even for a moment, and let yourself be held in it.