No need to hurry. No need to sparkle.

“No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.” -Virginia Woolf

This quote popped up the other day on Twitter. A string of words that instantly reverberated in my spirit and left my whole being ringing “yes.”

You see, I’m a striver.

I’m a go-getter.

I’m a rusher and a pusher.

And I fancy myself a sparkler. Sometimes it comes naturally and sometimes I work very hard to sparkle. When I am dull? Well, you bet I’m doing my damndest to catch the light and twinkle anyway.

These are reluctant confessions more than proud declarations. While our culture glorifies hurry and sparkle, being busy and being fabulous, I know in my bones it is often richer to be still and content.

To not worry or try so hard.

To not seek attention or approval or even self-improvement.

To be void of ambition.

To “do nothing” all day but pay attention and be kind to people.

To be quiet and unassuming and just plain ordinary.

To be present and at peace.

This place where the hurry and sparkle are not needed? Can you tell me where it is?

It is not where I work. Hurry and sparkle are undeniable realities (and hot commodities) at most workplaces.

It is not at home, either. We scurry around taking care of our son, taking care of ourselves, taking care of our house and the yard and the bills and the dog. There’s an unspoken schedule propelling us forward and an understood to-do list keeping our minds preoccupied. Even when we close our eyes to sleep.

The need to sparkle at home stems from the desire to be the best mom and the best wife. To wow the ones I love with my thoughtful actions and words. To keep the plates spinning without the appearance of exhaustion and with the real (or perceived) appearance of happiness.

Our loved ones don’t expect us to sparkle; more often, they just expect us to show up. And, truth be told, showing up goes a long way at work, too.

No. If I’m honest, I bring the expectations of hurry and sparkle on myself. It is knotted in my DNA, programmed in my heart. “Am I enough?” is the cry of my nature, and the response is hustle, bustle, control and self-promotion.

How do we find the restful place inside when our natural inclination is restlessness?

You see, rest is NOT IN ME. Not with all the yoga or accolades or vacations or therapy or herbal tea in the world. And, as I know and admit…

THE SPARKLE IS NOT FOUND IN ME EITHER.

A diamond doesn’t sparkle in and of itself; it relies on an outside light source. To achieve sparkle, it just sits pretty and allows the light to do its thing. Without light, a diamond is just an unremarkable clump of carbon manipulated by intense heat and pressure.

The first step to finding real contentment? Recognize it’s not going to come from inside you.

I realize this idea flies in the face of every self-help book and life coach out there.

You cannot will wholeness. You cannot conjure up brilliance or strong-arm yourself into peace. You need an outside source to break through and bring it. Something beyond yourself.

For me, my rest and my light is found in Jesus Christ. The Cross is where my hurrying and striving ends. It is where I am told I must die to myself to really live. It is where I am fully known; it is where I can fully be myself.

The Bible says we are born slaves to sin, and I don’t know about you, but every cell in my body testifies to this truth. I am not the person I should be; I do what I do not want to do. I am a slave to my pride, hurrying and posturing to feel important.

We run around—chasing the best this world has to offer and our best selves—when God already chased us down and showed us.

Jesus answers the inner question—“Am I enough?”—in a way no pop culture guru would.

“Actually, you are not enough, but I AM. There is no need to rush or prove; be still. Know that I am God and I love you. Find rest in Me. I’ve taken care of it.”

“It” being the sin that separates me from God and the persistent aching of this mortal life… for more, for better, for wholeness, for forever.

If I were enough, the ache wouldn’t just go away—it wouldn’t even be there! But I’m not and it remains. It is the craving for eternity and the acknowledgement that all is not right with this world and this never-satisfied heart. Freedom and peace are not part of my human nature; they are supernatural gifts.

In the presence of the Lord, there is no need to hurry and no need to sparkle.

There is stillness. There is security. There is clarity. There is contentment.

Friends, we are rough diamonds. Simple stones. We can’t manufacture our own brilliance.

We need Light to shine.