Welcome to the weekly TRCJ — a thread for the Companion community to share the places we’re noticing tension, rest, curiosity, and joy in our daily lives.
I love sharing the ins and outs of my week with you. But I’m even more excited to HEAR from you! You don’t need to answer them all, but if you’ve got a spot you’re noticing tension, or a topic you’re curious about, or a resource that could help bring others rest or joy, then SHARE AWAY! This space is for all of you ;)
Y’all, it is so hot here in Durham. So so hot.
I have historically been someone who lives in the future and struggles to be grounded in the current moment—and I have worked hard to combat that tendency. But tight now I am feeling the tension between wanting to stay rooted in the immediate moment without wishing myself ahead to the future…and desperation for cooler days!
Anyone else resonate?!
Last Sunday, someone at church asked me if I ever take a day for sabbath.
I’d just told her that I spent most of my weekend catching up on work, so it was a fair question—especially of someone like me that advocates endlessly for rest.
I surprised myself with my response: I do work a few hours most weekends (finishing up Sunday’s Substack, if we’re being honest), but it’s because I take advantage of my flexible schedule all throughout the week. I spend full mornings on walks or at coffee shops with friends, or a full afternoon over a long lunch with a colleague. I give myself buffer to breathe between doctor’s appointments and I run errands when everyone else is at their 9-5.
When I first started working for myself full time, I struggled to not feel guilty not working during traditional work hours. But then I also felt bad not taking advantage of my flexibility. Over the last 6-7 years, I’ve settled into a pace that works well for me. It allows me time with friends who are only free while their kids are in childcare, with friends who work shift work, and with those who work traditional hours. But in that conversation I realized that I’ve always felt a subtle sense of guilt over my choice not to take the weekends off completely… I’m now determined to let that guilt slip away.
I’m curious if any of you have alternative approaches to creating spaciousness in your schedule, even if it might not at first glance appear to be a day of rest?
Lately I have been curious about mothering metaphors for God.
God as a mother hen gathering up her chicks (Matthew 23, Luke 13), God as a nursing mother (Isaiah 49), God as a birthing mother (Deuteronomy 32).
This curiosity has been present for awhile, but recently I’ve felt a more intensive pull towards it—like God is trying desperately to reveal the ways God mothers me.
To that end, I’ve been reading Elizabeth Berget’s new book Love Like a Mother: How the Sacred Work of Motherhood Reveals the Maternal Heart of God. Each chapter unpacks the imagery for God in Scripture that aligns with different phases of mothering, from pregnancy, to labor, to birth, to nursing, and beyond. There is also a chapter for infertility, pregnancy loss, and child loss.
While the book is marketed as being for mothers, which I am not, I have still resonated with each chapter.
If you’re curious to read deeper on the topic, I think this book would pair beautifully with Natalie Carnes’ Motherhood: A Confession—which mirrors Augustine’s Confessions, if it had been written through the experience of a woman raising her children.
Earlier this year, I was at a local shop/restaurant that is ideal for purchasing gifts (Parker and Otis, IYKYK) when a friend discovered a butter pencil case.
Of course I purchased it straight away, and I have used it almost daily ever since.
Someone comments on the bag every time I’m out working, whether at a coffee shop or my coworking space. I’m staring at it as I write this email, and it still brings me just as much joy as the day I bought it.
Apparently butter accessories are a thing among middle schoolers these days? I had no idea. But middle school me, who longed to be cool, would be thrilled to know that I’m on top of present day middle school trends.
What about you? Where are you feeling tension? What’s bringing you rest? Who has sparked your curiosity? When have you experienced joy?
Share your answers in the comments below!
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