A Message I Couldn’t Keep to Myself
One of my favorite parts of intentional living is recognizing that we don’t have to navigate life alone.
While I deeply value quiet walks, time for reflection, prayer, and learning to listen to my own heart, I’ve also learned that some of the most important shifts in my thinking have come from listening to the wisdom of others.
A podcast episode on a morning walk. A conference speaker who puts words to something I’ve been feeling. A book that arrives at exactly the right moment. A mentor who helps me see something from a different perspective.
There is something powerful about learning to hear your own voice while also remaining open to the voices that challenge, encourage, and inspire you.
One of those voices for me has been Jennie Allen.
If you don’t already follow her work, I highly recommend her podcast, books, and teachings. She has a remarkable ability to speak honestly about faith, leadership, relationships, and what it means to live intentionally in a complicated world. I’ll link her podcast below because it has been a source of encouragement for me through many different seasons of life. Recently, I received an email from Jennie that stopped me in my tracks. In fact, it resonated so deeply that I immediately forwarded it to several friends. As I sat with it, I realized I wanted to share it here, too, because I have a feeling I’m not the only one who needs this reminder.
The message centered around something most of us are carrying right now: pressure.
The pressure of work, of parenting, of caring for people we love, of building something meaningful, and of trying to do it all well.
One particular thought stayed with me: “If I removed all the pressure from my life, I’d probably remove most of what matters most, too.”
That perspective felt both comforting and challenging. Like many people, I’ve spent plenty of time waiting for things to calm down: waiting for the schedule to lighten, waiting for life to feel more manageable, and waiting for a season that feels less demanding.
As I read Jennie’s words, I immediately thought about the conversations Graeme and I have been having lately. Over the past year, life has been wonderfully full. We moved into a condo last August, purchased a home, moved again in February, settled into a new neighborhood, tackled house projects, hosted family and friends, traveled, supported our kids’ activities, and continued building lives and work that we deeply care about. If you’ve followed along through my move updates, home projects, and room reveals, you’ve seen pieces of that journey unfold. Lately, we’ve found ourselves having the same conversation over and over.
“We need to slow down.”
“We need to say no more often.”
“We need less on the calendar.”
And while there’s wisdom in creating margin and protecting our time, something about those conversations never fully settled with me. Because even if we removed the move, the house projects, or some of the travel, I knew life wouldn’t suddenly become pressure-free.
The house would still need attention. The kids would still be growing and changing. There would still be people we love and want to spend time with. There would still be responsibilities we care deeply about. There would still be opportunities, dreams, and commitments worth pursuing.
Reading Jennie’s words helped me realize something I hadn’t fully put into words before: maybe the goal isn’t to build a life with less pressure, maybe the goal is to make sure the pressure we’re carrying is connected to what matters most.
That shift changed everything for me, because when I look honestly at the areas of my life creating the most weight right now, many of them are also creating the most joy: time with family, adventure and travel, meaningful relationships, supporting our team, serving our clients, creating a home we love, taking care of our health, and growing in faith.
None of those things is pressure-free. But I wouldn’t want to remove them from my life. What I want is to be more intentional about what earns a place on my calendar, in my mind, and in my heart, not because I’m trying to eliminate pressure. But because I want the pressure I carry to reflect the life I’m intentionally choosing. That’s what resonated so deeply about Jennie’s message.
Instead of asking, “How do I make life easier?” I’m learning to ask, “Is this aligned with what matters most?”
Because pressure attached to purpose feels very different than pressure attached to obligation. And that distinction has been changing the way I think about this season entirely.
One of the final thoughts Jennie shared was this:
Instead of asking, “How do I get rid of the pressure?”
Ask: “What if God wants to meet me in it?”
I’ve been thinking about that question ever since, because maybe intentional living isn’t about creating a life free from responsibility, challenge, or pressure. Maybe it’s about learning to live well within those realities, or about recognizing that meaningful lives often come with meaningful weight.
And maybe that’s okay. Actually, maybe that’s beautiful.
If this message resonates with you, I encourage you to explore Jennie Allen’s work. Her podcast and teachings continue to encourage and challenge me in all the best ways. And if you’re in a season that feels heavy right now, I hope this serves as the reminder it was for me: The presence of pressure doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong; sometimes it means you’re carrying something worth carrying.
Resources Mentioned
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
If you’ve been dreaming about a space that feels this good, one that’s beautiful and actually works for your real life, that vision is already in you. It just needs the right support to come alive.
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With gratitude,
Christina
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