🌿 Learning to Rest Without Guilt
By Tammy Rae – The Midlife Well
For years, I believed rest was something you earned.
After the work was done.
After the house was clean.
After everyone else’s needs were met.
But midlife has taught me something different: if you wait until everything is finished, you will never rest. Because the “everything” never ends.
🕊️ Rest Is Not a Reward—it’s a Command
From the very beginning, God modeled rest. On the seventh day, He stopped. Not because He was tired, but because He was teaching us something about His rhythm of life.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28 (NKJV)
Rest is not laziness. Rest is not selfish. Rest is sacred obedience.
đź’§ Why Midlife Women Struggle to Rest
We’ve spent decades in motion:
Raising kids
Caring for aging parents
Juggling work, ministry, and relationships
Pouring out to everyone else
Somewhere along the way, we started believing the lie: my worth is in what I do, not who I am.
So even when our bodies crave rest, our minds whisper guilt.
But Jesus never asked us to prove our worth before sitting down. He simply said, “Come.”
🌸 What Rest Looks Like in Real Life
Rest doesn’t always mean a spa day or a vacation. Sometimes it looks like:
Taking a nap without apologizing
Sitting in silence with your Bible and coffee
Going for a slow walk just to breathe
Turning off the phone for a few hours
Saying no to something so you can say yes to peace
Rest is less about activity and more about alignment. It’s creating space to remember who God is—and who you are in Him.
đź«— A Midlife Prayer for Rest
Jesus, I’ve spent so many years in motion. I’ve believed I had to earn every moment of quiet. Today, I release that lie. Teach me to rest in You—not because I’ve done enough, but because You are enough. Restore my soul, and let me find peace in Your presence. Amen.
🌿 Final Thought
The woman at the well didn’t have to work for living water—Jesus simply offered it. In the same way, you don’t have to work for rest.
Midlife is not the time to push harder. It’s the season to slow down, refill, and walk lighter.
Rest is not selfish.
Rest is holy.
And it’s waiting for you at the well.