Rooted + Rested - Embracing Peace And Rest Through Faith And Self-Care...and a touch of Lavender

I Don't Want to Waste My Life | Finding Purpose When Life Feels Overwhelming

Have you ever felt so busy taking care of everyone and everything that you wonder if you're missing what really matters?

Between work, family responsibilities, endless to-do lists, and dreams that keep getting pushed aside, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and question whether you're living the life God intended for you.

In this heartfelt episode of Rooted & Rested, Lisa shares an ordinary morning that turned into a meaningful lesson about faith, identity, and purpose. A forgotten grocery bag, an unexpected thistle growing among the lavender, and a moment of honest frustration led her to a powerful realization: “I don't want to waste my life.”

Through the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38–42, Romans 8:31, and Psalm 90:12, we explore what it means to live intentionally, trust God through disappointment, and remember that our worth isn't measured by how much we accomplish.

In this episode, we'll reflect on:

Finding purpose when life feels overwhelmingly busy

Recognizing how past disappointments shape what we believe about ourselves

Learning from Mary and Martha about choosing what matters most

Letting go of the pressure to accomplish everything

Receiving God's grace, wisdom, and peace in everyday life

If you're a Christian woman feeling exhausted by responsibilities, discouraged by unmet expectations, or wondering whether you're making a difference, this episode offers gentle encouragement to slow down, reconnect with God, and remember what matters most.

Pour yourself a cup of lavender tea, take a deep breath, and remember: Your life matters to God, even in the ordinary moments.

Rooted & Rested — reminding women they are not forgotten, but remembered by God, rooted in Him, and invited to rest in His presence.

SALTANDLIGHTBOX.COM

Are you struggling with perfectionism, letting go of control, or trusting God when life doesn't go according to plan?

Just days before a family party, Lisa felt God reminding her of one simple truth:

It doesn't have to be perfect.

Then came the practical exam.

Two runaway steers. An all-day rain. A beautifully mowed yard covered in muddy hoofprints. Cow patties scattered through the party area. And Lisa standing outside with a shovel the day before everyone arrived.

In this funny and encouraging episode of Rooted & Rested, Lisa shares what happened when her carefully made plans collided with real life—and how God used the mess to teach her something deeper about perfectionism, control, trust, and being present.

Maybe letting go of perfection isn't about caring less.

Maybe it's about being present enough to receive the life God is giving you.

If you're a Christian woman who feels pressure to get everything done, make everything right, or hold everything together, this episode is an invitation to loosen your grip, do what's yours to do, and trust God with what isn't.

In this episode:

• Letting go of perfectionism and unrealistic expectations

Sometimes trust looks less polished than we imagine.

Sometimes it looks like:

Guard the waterfall.

Because it doesn't have to be perfect to be good.

And today's “You've GOT to be kidding me” might just become the story you're laughing about tomorrow.

Rooted & Rested is a Christian encouragement podcast reminding women they are not forgotten—remembered by God, rooted in Him...and with a touch of lavender.

🌿 Learn more about Lisa and Salt & Light Box: saltandlightbox.com

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If this episode encouraged you, share it with a woman who may need the reminder that it doesn't have to be perfect.

Do you really trust God?

It's easy to say we trust Him. But what happens when the to-do list is long, life feels overwhelming, and everything in us wants to take control?

In this episode of Rooted & Rested, Lisa shares how an exhausting weekend, an unfinished brain dump, an unexpected nap by the waterfall, and a family of bluebirds led her back to a simple question: Do I really trust Him?

As she studied Romans 1 and reflected on Psalm 23, she recognized something in herself: sometimes self-reliance can quietly replace dependence on God. We can know that God is in control while still living as though everything depends on us.

But trusting God doesn't always require a dramatic leap of faith. Sometimes it looks like resting when there's still work to do. Sometimes it means leaving something unfinished. Sometimes it means putting down the phone and simply receiving the moment right in front of us.

And maybe we're not supposed to finally “arrive” at perfect trust. We will forget. We'll take control again. We'll rush. We'll miss moments. But there is grace for those moments too.

When we realize we're no longer receiving the life God has given us, we can simply return to the Shepherd.

In this episode, we'll talk about trusting God in everyday life, letting go of control and self-reliance, finding rest when life feels busy, noticing and giving thanks, receiving the present moment, and returning to God when we find ourselves striving again.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” — Psalm 23:1

You don't have to arrive.

After missing her Sunday brain dump for the first time in more than a year and a half, Lisa could feel the difference. By Tuesday morning, her mind was crowded with appointments, family decisions, event preparations, unanswered messages—and the sudden realization that she hadn’t even thought about this week’s podcast.

Then, while driving to an appointment, “Counting My Blessings” by Seph Schlueter came on the radio. Nothing on Lisa’s list changed, but her attention did. She realized she had been counting everything she needed to do instead of remembering everything God had already done.

In this honest episode, Lisa shares how practical rhythms can help clear our minds, how gratitude makes room for us to notice the life we are actually living, and how some of the things that feel like pressure may also be answers to prayer.

Grace for a frazzled week doesn’t always mean that everything becomes calm. Sometimes it means the unfinished things loosen their grip long enough for us to receive the goodness happening right in front of us—and take the next faithful step.

What if the joy you’ve been searching for has been there all along—but you’ve been too busy to receive it?

For much of this year, my word receive felt vague and almost fake because I honestly didn’t understand how to receive God’s love, peace, joy, or everyday gifts. I was accustomed to doing, planning, creating, fixing, and trying to control the outcome—especially in my business. I was always working to arrive somewhere, and anxious hurry kept carrying me past the life God was already giving me.

In this episode, I share what I’m beginning to understand about the difference between faithful work and anxious hurry, why a clenched hand cannot receive, and how slowing down to notice and describe God’s ordinary gifts is creating room for both joy and peace.

I haven’t mastered open-handed living. But today, my hand is a little more open than it was yesterday. Walk with me a bit as we walk with Him—learning to slow down, notice His gifts, faithfully take the next step, and trust God with what comes next.

Trusting God in the Waiting: When You Don’t Know What Will Grow

I planted three tiny lavender plants in the field this week.

And honestly? I have no idea if they're going to live.

After years of trying unsuccessfully to propagate lavender, I decided this spring to try growing it from seed. I started with about 80 seeds, and twelve little plants made it through the summer. This week, I took three of those survivors from their protected spot beside the house and planted them in the field—in holes where other young lavender plants have already died.

As I was debating whether I should even plant them, I had this thought:

If they live, there will be a lesson in the lavender.

But if I'm honest, there was a little bit of a "whatever" attitude underneath that too. I've learned plenty of lessons through things not growing the way I hoped they would.

And I'm weary.

I'd really love to see what God might teach me through something that lives.

Those three little plants made me realize I've planted a lot of other things in this season too—new ideas, writing, creative work, and things I genuinely hope will grow. And now I'm in the part I really don't like:

Waiting.

I love planning. I love creating. I love figuring things out. But eventually I have to release what I've created and face the part I can't control—the outcome.

And when things don't grow the way I thought they would, that's when I start asking hard questions:

Did I hear God correctly?

In this episode of Rooted & Rested, I'm sitting with Ecclesiastes 11:4–6 and its uncomfortable reminder that we don't always know which seed will succeed.

This isn't a success story told from the other side.

The plants are still in the field.

I'm still waiting.

I still don't know what will grow.

And maybe that's exactly why I wanted to share this part of the story now—before I know the ending.

If you're somewhere between planting and knowing too, walk with me a bit as we walk with Him.

saltandlightbox.com

Do you ever feel like you should be better at trusting God by now?

After years of knowing and loving the Lord, Lisa still finds herself learning how to receive His love, recognize His nearness, and return to His peace. In this episode of Rooted & Rested, she shares an honest reflection that began in Romans 9—with the reminder that it does not depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

What does it really mean to walk with God when you aren’t always sure you hear Him correctly? What if the redirections, wilderness seasons, and struggles to trust have not disqualified you—but have been part of the way He has been forming you?

Through the beautiful image of an open door, Lisa reflects on Christ’s continued welcome: His hand extended, inviting us to return again and again. We don’t return because He has left us, but because we have lost our awareness of the nearness that has been ours all along.

Lisa has not mastered peace. She is still learning to come back to the One who has perfect peace—and to leave the door open behind her for other women who need help finding their way back too.

If you love the Lord but sometimes struggle to feel His love, presence, or peace, you are not alone. Walk with Lisa a bit as you walk with Him.

Do you ever find yourself rushing through ordinary life as though everything is an emergency?

In this episode of Rooted & Rested, Lisa shares a simple reminder she found written in her planner: “Breathe and move slowly.” What began as a reminder to slow down led to a much deeper question: What am I afraid will happen if I don't hurry?

From a very real pruning deadline in the lavender field to the fear of falling behind, never arriving, and wondering whether all the work will ultimately matter, Lisa reflects on Psalm 31:15: “My times are in Your hand.”

Together, we'll consider the difference between purposeful movement and anxious hurry, what Moses' story can teach us about measuring a life by faithfulness rather than arrival, and why peace can't wait until everything is finally finished.

Lisa also shares one practical rhythm that helps quiet the noise in her head: her Sunday Brain Dump. If your week tends to live entirely in your head too, she's created a free Sunday Brain Dump resource to help you get it onto paper, decide what actually needs your attention, and approach the week with greater intention.

Download the FREE Brain Dump

Maybe we don't need to get everything done today. Maybe we simply need to take the next faithful step and trust God with where it leads.

What do you reach for when life feels out of control?

For me, it can go one of two ways. Sometimes I pick up my phone and scroll because everything on my to-do list feels overwhelming. Other times, I start cleaning, organizing, or checking things off the list because accomplishing something gives me a temporary sense of relief.

In this episode of Rooted & Rested, come walk with me for a bit as I share something God has been showing me about control, comfort, and finding peace in Christ.

I've realized how often I tell myself that once I finish the work, get caught up, organize my life, or make enough progress, then I'll be able to breathe. Then I'll have peace.

But there's a problem with that: the to-do list is never really finished.

If I'm waiting for everything around me to be settled before I allow my heart to be settled, I'll spend my life chasing peace that's always one more task away.

Second Corinthians 1:3 calls our Father “the God of all comfort.” Not just comfort for life's greatest heartbreaks, but the comfort we need in the ordinary places too—the uncertainty, unfinished work, financial concerns, overwhelming days, and circumstances we simply cannot control.

We'll talk about the subtle ways we can look to productivity, our phones, work, family, finances, possessions, and even other people to give us the comfort and security that can ultimately only be found in Christ.

I'm still learning this. I don't have it all figured out. But maybe peace isn't something waiting for us at the bottom of our to-do lists. Maybe we can find peace in Jesus right here, in the middle of the unfinished.

Come walk with me for a bit as we learn to reach for the God of all comfort.

Last week, I talked about finding Peace in the Pause. This week, I'm realizing just how much I needed that reminder.

I'm in the thick of reshaping hundreds of lavender plants before fall, and this year the work simply feels harder. Between the heat and humidity, endless mowing, rain in the forecast, and crabgrass that has apparently decided this is its year to shine, I'm tired. And beyond the lavender field, there are still so many projects I'm hoping to finish before fall.

I'm not ready to give up on those goals. I'm doing everything I can to reach them. But God is gently reminding me that there's a difference between carrying the work He's given me to do and carrying the weight of how it all turns out.

In this episode of Rooted & Rested, come walk with me through an honest season of weariness, unfinished work, and learning to come to Jesus before everything is figured out. Maybe peace isn't something we find once the work is finished. Maybe He meets us with His rest right in the middle of it.