155. Permission to Just Be: Finding God in the Stillness

Hello, beautiful! Can you believe we're almost halfway through 2026? If you're looking at your vision board, your Bible reading plan, or your list of goals and feeling just a little bit tired — not failing, just tired — this episode is for you. For the past 5.5 months, we've done deep work together. We walked through Lent. We peeled back layers. We leaned into hard questions. And growth has been beautiful. But growth is also heavy. So today, we're hitting pause. I stumbled onto the story behind an old Edie Brickell song this week — "What I Am" — and one line completely captured my heart: "Religion is the smile on a dog." She wrote it during college, frustrated by classmates who were so busy over-intellectualizing faith that they missed the actual experience of it. And it made me wonder: How often do we do the same thing? How often do we turn grace into a checklist? How often do we drown ourselves in the deep end when God is simply asking us to rest in the shallows and enjoy Him? Your faith is not a performance review. God doesn't love the optimized version of you any more than He loves you right now — in your mess, your fatigue, and your unfinished to-do lists. So today, I'm not giving you homework. I'm just asking you to take a breath. To look around at your life and see what's already here. To give yourself permission to just be. Consider this your permission slip. You’ll Learn: 👣 Why rest is a spiritual practice, not a weakness 👣 Why Jesus modeled simplicity over striving 👣 How to give yourself permission to just be    ✨ Plus, you’ll hear a gentle prayer for the woman who's been trying so hard and just needs to breathe.   📖 Grab your tea and your Live Your Life journal, available at: https://etsy.me/3Txdc1z— and use code PODCAST15 for 15% off any workbook!   🌟 Know someone who needs a little light? Share this episode with a friend —it might be the gentle nudge they’ve been waiting for.   🌿 Please Stay in Touch: 🦋If this episode resonated with you, support the podcast and share a tea! https://buymeacoffee.com/riselovelive 🦋 Follow along on Instagram @riselovelive 🦋 Subscribe & leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review!   And until next time… Ignite inspiration, spread hope, and dance with faith.   With love, 💛 Heidi