This week on Real Talk with Rachael in talking with Jess Connolly. Jess is the author or co-author of several books, including Wild and Free, You Are the Girl for the Job, and Breaking Free from Body Shame. Along with her husband, Nick, she planted Bright City Church in Charleston, South Carolina, where they live with their four children. Jess is a woman who wants to leave her generation more in awe of God than she found it. She is passionate about family, God's Word, and seeing women take their place in the kingdom.

Key Points from Our Conversation:

• We live in a defeated acceptance of exhaustion. Living right now is too much. Life is tiring and we’re accepting defeat because we think this is just how things are.
• Women often feel they need permission to rest, but we don't need permission. God invites us to rest - He even commands it. He wants rest for us.
• There will always be more to do. Ask yourself if you need to see accomplishment more than you need to feel at home in your body and soul. Do we need acceptance from others more than we need communion with God, our bodies, and our people? God integrated rest into life. We work from rest, not rest from work. We’ll never be prepared if we don’t start from a place of rest.
• Spiritual exhaustion occurs anytime we trade abundance with God for obligation. We are not obligated to do things for God. He can act independently of us. God asks us to help and join in His good works, but His love for us is not based on our actions or inaction.
• Our society has reached a point where exhaustion is normal – maybe even something to be proud of. Yes, there are life factors that affect sleep, but many of us aren’t victims of fatigue, we’re volunteers. Consider this - would God praise you for working past the point of exhaustion or would He want you to be a good steward of your body and energy?
• There are a lot of practical ways to get more sleep like turning off the TV, putting the phone down, using blue light blocking glasses, or journaling. Pay attention to your pace during the day. Did you overcommit? Are you consistently feeling rushed? Notice the cues your body is giving you and give yourself what you need.
• Don't overcomplicate the sabbath. It's simply 24 hours of enjoying God and the life He has given us. How you enjoy Him is your choice, but don’t try to get ahead.

Let’s Get Real Practical:

What area of rest do you need to lean into with the Lord and reevaluate this season? What beliefs do you have about rest and do those beliefs line up with God’s Word?

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