People need to ponder more.

As a big ponderer myself, I have to say it’s really enjoyable. Just sit and think a while, right? When I wake up, the first thing I usually grab is my phone to check the time. I’ll check my notifications, doomscroll on Instagram a little, and then bring it with me into the bathroom as I get ready for the day. Lately, though, I’ve been trying something a little different.

Instead, I try to ponder. To pray. To wake up and just sit without any noise.

I have to say, it’s helped me start my day faster and definitely happier. But sometimes, I still wake up, and even though I don’t immediately grab my little box of endless knowledge and entertainment…I still feel completely and totally unrested.

This led me to ponder something pretty important…

Do you ever wake up not-charged?

Sometimes, I’ll plug my phone in, go to sleep, only to wake up and realize it wasn’t fully plugged in. My phone is at 20%, and that sucks, cause I sort of kind of need it through the day. It has stuff to do. People need to be able to contact me, and I need to make sure I post to my Instagram, Facebook, etc., for this whole “author thing” I’m doing.

The other day, I woke up, and I wasn’t at 100%. It felt more like I was at 20%. Like, at night, I hadn’t fully rested. I wasn’t fully charged.

Ever feel like that?

On the days when I wake up at 20% instead of 100%, I find myself getting really frustrated with myself. I lament, in the morning and all through the afternoon, how tired I am. How much I had wanted to get done.

“Now I’ll get nothing done,” I groan as I force myself out of bed. It feels like I’ve already wasted the day and all the plans, the great checklist of items I was going to get done, has been flushed down the metaphorical toilet. It sucks.

The Negative-20%-Mindset

Yesterday, I didn’t plug my phone in all the way. It was at 22% in the morning. But you know what I did?

I didn’t use it like I would have if it were at 100%. I needed to use it for some social media posts, for work. Instead of lamenting and giving up on it, I used it sparingly. I gave myself breaks with it through the day, where I’d charge it enough to get the next task done. Then? Once that task was done? Back on the charger it went.

It hit me as I pondered that night. When I’m at 20%, why do I immediately assume I’ll get nothing done?

The Positive-20%-Mindset

Instead of giving up on the day, assuming it’s a complete loss because I’m not at 100%…Maybe I should treat myself more like my phone.

The truth is this: I can still be productive even when I’m not feeling 100%.

I’ll need to give myself breaks, sure. I’m not going to get my whole list done. That’s okay. God knew how much sleep I was or wasn’t going to get. He knows what I can and cannot get done in a day. I don’t think he’s really concerned that I woke up feeling less than 100%.

Chronic fatigue is infuriating. It’s so frustrating to want to do things, and have your body ache and resist every little thing. When our worth is wrapped up in what we do and not who we are, it’s so much easier to fall into the negative-20%-mindset. If you can’t do all of it, then what’s the point? What’s your worth?

You’re still a child of God. You’re still loved by him. No matter what you get done in a day, you can’t do anything to be any more or any less loved by God. That’s the truth.

When we accept our identity in Christ, it becomes easier to trust him. Relax in his presence.

So, when we wake up at 20% instead of 100%? Guess what, we’re still loved by God. We can still get things done! The day is not a total bust and you are still 100% loved by God. 🙂

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On days where I’m not at 100% are the days when I find I need to remind myself of the truth the most. Want to find out the biblical truths I speak? You can have them for free for 21-Days!