Finding rest in God every day.

As I write this, I am sitting on the verandah of a farmhouse built in 1915. The breeze is chilly, but I am rugged up and the sun occasionally breaks through the clouds. A couple of birds engage in a noisy game of chasey in a nearby tree. I haven’t seen a car for hours. I am surrounded by fields of green crops just peeping above the surface, encouraged by this year’s rains. It’s not just that I am resting. I feel completely rested.

But it’s not always a practical solution to drive out to the farm and stay for a few days. This feeling of being rested should be transferable to real life, even in the midst of daily routines and struggles. Rest needs to be something I can carry with me as much as something I do.

Matthew 11:28-30 tells us that we find rest in Jesus as we come to him, walk with him, and learn from him. Is that the answer?  I think that it is. We can implement routines for rest, create habits to help us, and set reminders to rest and work well. That’s still not the same as feeling completely rested. That feeling comes from surrender. It comes from total trust that even when things feel out of control, God is in control. 

Being rested and working from a place of rest starts with an acknowledgment that God is our place of rest. Then we can navigate work, life, family, and relationships from a posture of peace, even in the hard times.

Article supplied with thanks to Lorrene McClymont.

About the Author: Lorrene McClymont is a writer and photographer from Hope Images. On her blog ‘Moments to Rest’, she shares about rest, faith, and family.

Feature image: Canva

New year, new you, right? That’s the way it’s supposed to be in January. But what if you aimed for a new year, sustainable you?

The last few years, since burning myself out and wrecking my back, I have approached New Year’s differently. Instead of focusing on grand resolutions that inevitably fail, my focus has been on small, sustainable habits that bring about long-term change. Instead of treating the new year as a deadline to overhaul my entire life and start again, I view it as more of a checkpoint.

This has resulted in a slower start to the new year. It means I don’t start feeling as if I am behind. I don’t start January with the feeling that I have already failed. It means I don’t feel like the new year has intense pressure before it even begins.

If you want to try this for yourself, start with a straightforward list of what worked for you in the past year and what didn’t. Things on my list that didn’t work in 2025 were:

• Drinking caffeine after 12
• Doom scrolling in the hour before bed
• Consuming a high percentage of content based around the darker side of life (Think shows like Criminal Intent and SVU)

I am adding a disclaimer in here: your personal convictions about what you consume are your own. I am not saying these shows are bad; I am not saying watching them is bad. My only point is that I notice a distinctly negative shift in my thinking and attitude when I consume a lot of this sort of media, which is unfortunate because it’s my favourite genre.

Things that worked well for me in 2025 were things like:

• Charging my phone in the kitchen at night
• Starting my morning with a few minutes outside
• Being in God’s word before scrolling

Use these lists to pick a couple of habits to work on for the new year. I picked one I wanted to add in, no caffeine after 12. It’s something I have been inconsistent with, but I notice a big difference in my sleep when I am strict with it. I’ve identified three habits that I definitely want to stay in 2026. They are habits I have already built into my life, with some level of consistency. These habits are sustainable, low-key, and make a long-term difference to my mental health and well-being.

I use my daily planner to track my habits, which helps keep me accountable. I also discuss my progress with my coach. Once these habits become consistent, I will consider implementing other things I would like to do.

January is a great time to take stock of what is working and what isn’t in your life. It gives you a chance to pause and reevaluate, but it doesn’t have to be a complete life do-over. Instead of new year, new you, try aiming for new year, sustainable you.

Article supplied with thanks to Lorrene McClymont.

About the Author: Lorrene McClymont is a writer and photographer from Hope Images. On her blog ‘Moments to Rest’, she shares about rest, faith, and family.

Feature image: Canva