-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-
Is restoration a regular part of your creative process?
Deep down, we know we need to build regular times of rest into our schedules. But everything seems to work against it. Part of the problem is how we tend to view the normal rhythm of life. For many, it goes like this: Work hard all day. Constantly do more. Rest as little as possible. Then work hard again. Do even more. Repeat endlessly.
We view restoration as an inconvenient, inefficient pause from real life. We push ourselves to the limit all year, believing a week’s vacation will miraculously replenish us for the next year. That’s not a rhythm of rest. It’s a recipe for implosion.
Being overly available at all times results in being overly exhausted at all times. God has designed your soul to need regular times of restoration. That only occurs when you choose to be unavailable, at least for a moment, to the world’s non-stop expectations. It is a choice only you can make. And once you make it, you have to stick with it—because you will be tested. It’s one thing to say you’re unavailable after working hours. But when someone tries and you immediately respond, well, they know you weren’t serious. And they’ll keep doing it. Because your actions didn’t match your words.
But the inverse is true as well. When you’re consistently not available during certain times, that becomes the norm. Over time, you train others how to treat your availability based on your boundaries.
If you refuse to make time for rest, you’ll end up weary and worn out. Soul care is essential for your heart and your art. Take your restoration seriously by telling the world when they can’t reach you. And mean it.
We don’t need you exhausted. We need you creative.
(From The Creativity Glitch: How to Stop Being Stuck, Find Your Groove, & Create with God. Copyright © 2026 Allen Arnold.)
This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).
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