When Rest Feels Out of Reach

My husband and I have served in ministry for over twenty-five years. It’s been a beautiful, stretching, joy-filled journey—walking with others through Scripture, leading in local churches, launching businesses, raising children, caring for family, and navigating the many seasons that come with life and calling.

And somewhere along the way, beneath the steady rhythm of doing good work, a gentler voice began to rise within me, one that whispered of slowing down. Not because I had lost passion or purpose, but because I longed to breathe deeply again. To listen more closely. To live from a rested heart.

We prayed about taking time away—a short sabbatical to breathe and renew. It seemed the perfect way to pause and reset. We even applied for a grant that would make that possible.

When the answer came back, denied. It stung more than I expected. I had built hope around the idea of rest being something I could step away to find.

Yet in that tender space of disappointment, God met me. Not with answers or escape, but with invitation.

You don’t have to step away from life to step into rest.

Renewal doesn’t wait in distant places, it unfolds right where you are.

Those words became the beginning of a new kind of journey, and I began to explore what it means to find renewal within the rhythm of ordinary days.

This devotional, Selah Rest, is born out of that experience.

“Selah”—a word that calls us to pause and consider—appears in the Psalms where the music softens and hearts turn toward listening. It’s an invitation to linger in the presence of God and let the moment breathe.

My hope is that these pages will do the same for you.That they’ll become a quiet space where your soul can settle.Where the pace slows just enough for peace to rise again.

Whether you’re leading, caregiving, creating, working, or simply trying to find your footing—God sees you. He’s not asking you to do more; He’s inviting you to dwell deeper.

Because rest was never meant to be found out there.It was always meant to be found in Him.

One day.

One breath.

One pause at a time.

Let’s begin.

🩵 Terra

P.S. - Your'e invited. 52 weekly emails. Simple pauses. Lasting renewal. 

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