Last week, I talked about my four intentional hours, how I structure my day, how I protect my time, and how being patient with myself has become non-negotiable in this season.
In that reflection on loving ourselves patiently — especially when growth feels slow or unseen, I was focused on grace. But this week, I realized something else. Patience isn’t just about how we speak to ourselves. It’s also about how we move. Because while I’ve been intentional with my time, I’ve also started doing something else:
I’ve been writing down everything.
Every task.
Every responsibility.
Every small thing I touch in a day.
Not to glorify busyness, but to be honest with myself. And what I realized is this: We live in a world that will make you feel like your best is still not enough.
Productivity Culture Will Gaslight You
We are surrounded by hyper-functioning. People are doing the most. Moving fast. Checking boxes. Posting wins. And if you’re not careful, you’ll start believing that if you’re not operating at that same speed, you’re behind, or worse, failing. But just because everything else is moving fast doesn’t mean you have to. I had to remind myself that:
Productivity is not the same thing as purpose. And being busy does not automatically mean being aligned.
When Hustle Pulls You Out of His Presence
Here’s the part I had to be really honest about. I read In His Presence every single day. And what’s been made clear to me over and over again is this: sometimes being busy, being task-driven, billable, and hustle-focused, actually keeps us from being in His presence.
We fill every moment with movement.
We equate progress with pressure.
We confuse exhaustion with obedience.
But presence requires stillness. Stillness doesn’t always appear productive to the world.
Stillness Is Not Laziness
The Real Bag Is in His Presence
Here’s what I know for sure: The real bag isn’t in doing more. It’s not in over-functioning. It’s not in proving your worth through output. The real bag is in His presence. That’s where clarity comes from. That’s where peace lives. That’s where alignment is restored. And when you’re rooted there, everything else flows differently, without striving, without rushing, without force.
Love Is Patient, And So Is God
Love is patient; it doesn’t just apply to relationships with other people. It applies to how we move through life. How we measure ourselves. How we respond to pressure.
God is not rushing you. He’s not comparing you. He’s not impressed by your burnout. Patience is not a delay; it’s protection. So if next week looks quieter… slower… less “impressive” on paper, let it.
You don’t have to keep up with a world that’s running past what actually matters.
Love is patient.
And sometimes patience looks like stopping, so you can be present.
XOXO,
Steffanie Monae’
P.S.
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