Finding Peace, Contentment, and Productivity in a Season of Rest

God has blessed me with a season of rest this fall. I graduated college with a bachelor degree last December and I've been very busy all this year. I spent the spring working a job and studying for the MCAT (though, since then, I've ruled out medical school, but that's a discussion for another day) and I spent the summer serving on a mission trip, but now I have time to rest. 

This fall, I am employed part-time, but that is an on-call position and, so far, I have not yet been called in. I'll admit, that is frustrating. In a high-achieving family, being the only one not currently enrolled in school (though I will begin a masters program in the spring) and not actively working each day does take a toll. 

Yet, I've been able to find peace and contentment. I see this season in my life as a time for reflection and a moment to catch my breath and prepare for the next steps in life. 

However, rest does not, and should not, equivalate to sloth. 

I have been able to find balance between rest and productivity. 

I have been researching for my future goals, soul-searching and seeking God's guidance to determine and apply to the correct masters program in the spring. This took some time and I originally applied to one program but then felt the Lord guiding me a different way, and I applied to a different one, a masters degree of microbiology and cell science. This period of rest gives me the time I need to think deeply about this program and I have found full peace in that decision, something that I may have struggled finding if I were as busy as I've been thus far this year. 

I have also been able to conduct plenty of research to further my academic and future prospects. A huge piece of advice that I've received has been that school alone is not a guarantee for career success and often does not satisfy job requirements. To really stand out when applying for jobs and advancing your career, you must have experience. Therefore, I have been searching for, and reaching out to, laboratory research opportunities where I can gain experience during my graduate studies. This is an ongoing process, and something that I will continue to look into throughout this fall. 

Additionally, after a long hiatus from writing (as I was unable to write since January), I have finally gotten back into it! I must say, this is arguably my favorite part about this season of rest. I have found joy in creative writing ever since I began the hobby at twelve years old. In 2018, I completed my first novel, and I have written 14 novels since then (none published - that is a project for later). I began writing my 15th novel in January (which is the final book in a six-book series I've been working on since December of 2020), and I was incredibly discouraged to have to pause my work on that book. Now, I am thrilled to begin writing again. 

Besides setting myself up for the future and pursuing my favorite hobby, I have been able to invest in relationships. Family time has been a huge benefit, and I've enjoyed taking younger siblings out fishing, connecting with my grandparents, and engaging in a few social events to build a Christian friend group. 

While this time is difficult in the sense that I have never had a season of rest, I recognize that God has placed me exactly where I am and in these exact circumstances for a reason, and I must learn to lean on Him and listen to His guidance. While I am able to stay productive, I try not to stress over that goal. With every season, there is growth and blessing. 

A Bible passage that speaks to me in this season is Ecclesiastes 3:1-13, as follows:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil - this is the gift of God.

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