Rooted Before Productive

When asked how I was doing, I used to respond with "I'm tired but good!" I was exhausted... I wore so many hats, and I loved them all! I thought I was fulfilled because I was walking in my purpose. I gave my all to all things I did... I was always available and rarely said no.

I am a wife, a mom, a daughter, a sister. I’m an author, a volunteer, a mentor, a friend. I was a pastor and leader.

My answer would have been filled with roles, responsibilities, accomplishments, and whatever project I was currently working on.

I don't think I realized how much of my identity had become tangled up in my productivity... until those roles I had put on a pedestal were removed.

I wasn't intentionally trying to earn God's love... but I now see that I was seeking approval beyond what God has already freely given.

Somewhere along the way, I began believing that being useful was the same thing as being valuable. Maybe you've been there too?

Our culture celebrates productivity. We admire busy people. We praise hard work. We reward achievement. And before we know it, we begin measuring our worth by what we accomplish or what we are working on.

The problem is that a life built on productivity will always leave us exhausted because there will always be more to do. The finish line keeps moving.

And when our identity is attached to our performance, rest starts to feel uncomfortable. Because if we're not producing, who are we?

That's a question God has been gently asking me over the last several years and even more so in the last few months...

Who are you when you aren't accomplishing?
Who are you when the titles change?
Who are you when the ministry shifts?
Who are you when the children grow older?
Who are you when the season changes?
Who are you when all that's left is simply you and Jesus?

The answer isn't found in what we do. It's found in whose we are!

Long before God called the disciples to do anything for Him, He invited them to be with Him. Before ministry, miracles, teaching, and serving came relationship... and He calls us to that, too!

Presence before performance.
Connection before calling.
Being before doing.

John 15 paints this picture beautifully.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.** He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. **“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Jesus doesn't tell us to work harder... He says "apart from me you can do NOTHING".

He doesn't tell us to do more. He says, "no branch can bare fruit by itself, it must remain in the vine." He doesn't tell us to prove ourselves.

He continues by saying, "** If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. **This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

We are to remain with him; to be rooted. The fruit of our obedience is the result of that abiding, not the goal of it.

An apple tree doesn't strain to produce apples. It simply remains rooted and healthy. The fruit comes naturally...

Yet so many of us spend our lives trying to staple fruit onto branches that have become disconnected from the vine. We work harder or try harder. We do more... serve more... achieve more... All while our souls long to come back to the source; that living water that nourishes our soul.

If Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray, doesn't it make sense that we need to also?

Jesus knew His identity wasn't found in the crowds, the miracles, or the approval of people. He knew who He was because He knew whose He was. And because of that, He could move at a different pace.

Friends, the same is true for us. When our identity is rooted in Christ, we no longer have to prove our worth. We don't have to earn our place. We don't have to strive for significance. We don't have to perform for acceptance.

We are already loved! We are already chosen! We are already known! We are already seen! We are enough because Christ is enough!

This doesn't mean we stop serving, or stop working. It doesn't mean we stop pursuing the things God has called us to do. It means we do those things with God and for the glory of God. We do those things out of love for God and allow Him to bear the fruit.

Those things no longer define us. We work from acceptance, not for acceptance. We serve from fullness, not emptiness. We obey from love, not obligation.

Friend, before you are a mom, a wife, a leader, an employee, a volunteer, a caregiver, or anything else... You are a beloved daughter of God. Nothing you accomplish this week will make Him love you more. Nothing you fail to accomplish will make Him love you less. That is the kind of truth that allows a soul to rest.

Rest Practice of the Week

Spend five minutes each morning sitting quietly with God.

Before asking Him for anything, simply sit and remind yourself:

I am loved.
I am chosen.
I am God's daughter.

Reflection Question

Have I been measuring my worth by who I am, or by what I do?

Breath Prayer

Jesus, root my identity in You.

Closing Prayer

Father,

Thank You that my worth is not found in my accomplishments, my productivity, or the opinions of others. Remind me that I am Your beloved child. Help me remain rooted in Your love so that everything I do flows from a relationship with You rather than striving for approval. Teach me to abide before I achieve and rest before I run.

Amen.

This post is part of my summer series on slowing down, healing deeply, and walking at the pace of Jesus. Knowing who we are in Christ is the foundation. Next week, we'll look at the practical side: creating simple rhythms that help us slow down, stay rooted, and walk with Jesus daily.

Let’s Keep in Touch this summer! Subscribe to not miss a post and find me on Instagram for daily encouragement @HeyHeatherCook!