| The comedian John Mulaney has a line, “If you ever ask an adult what they did over the weekend, and they say they didn’t do anything, their faces light up … ‘Did we do anything this weekend? No … nothing. I did nothing at all!’” Lately, I haven’t had much time for nothing. As soon as work stops or my kid falls asleep or I’m home alone, I’ve a mental to-do list of chores that need to be done, appointments that need to be scheduled, home projects that could use tackling. Doing nothing can feel like a waste when there’s always something. That’s why I was so struck by the conclusion to Brianna Lambert’s recent article: “We have to remind ourselves that God doesn’t need our toil or our work. He created us not out of need but out of his good pleasure (Ps. 8:4; Acts 17:25), and he will be the measure of how useful our work and our leisure is, because he produces the fruit in both (John 15:5).” Brianna was writing about the value of hobbies, of all the things we might do just for the fun of it. We can feel guilty when doing things that seemingly have no purpose other than to give us pleasure and something to do. Or we can simply see it as a chance to delight in the world God has created for us, and worship him as a result. In the age of the side-hustle, it’s becoming harder for hobbies to stay hobbies. There’s lingering pressure to monetize the things you’re good at, to turn your passions into a business. And that’s great! But it’s not a must, even when it feels like it. She quotes a Vox article: “Our hustle culture leaves us with no moment unaccounted for, because we feel that even our ‘free’ moments must involve the pursuit of excellence, money, self-improvement, and ‘growth,’” the writer noticed. Her solution: “ignore insidious competition culture.” I recently saw a friend I used to go to church with years ago. I knew from her Instagram that she had since started a cookie-decorating business. Her cookies were named the best-tasting sugar cookies in Houston, she had been featured by a popular Internet personality, and she was always baking custom designs for clients and holidays. When I asked about the cookies, she quickly and unashamedly told me, “I had to take a break.” Indefinitely. She was always stressed, stayed up all night, left her house a mess, and couldn’t keep up. She feels a huge relief, and actually enjoys baking again now that it’s not work. I am slowly trying to take my own breaks from projects left undone and closets still unorganized to do something each day that I simply enjoy. I finally caught a few episodes of Cheer on Netflix—so far, recommended!—and I’ve been sitting down to read through the Psalms. If you’re looking for a book for your “doing nothing” time, there’s much to enjoy in His Testimonies My Heritage, a collection on Psalm 119. We interviewed editor Kristie Anyabwile last week. “There is a door of opportunity to smash stereotypes, to encourage the body of Christ, to let the world know that we are here and we have a message,” she said. “The message is the same for all believers: We want people to fall more deeply in love with God and his Word and be more committed to obeying him joyfully.” Kate | 