The other day, my friend was asking me about my experience moving from a busy staff job at a university to my current position working out of my home. My responsibilities with ECSW are less administrative than my previous position and involve more writing and planning. Instead of a pile of tasks to complete each day, I have (and need) more space to think, pray, ponder, try, wait and revise. It’s a quieter kind of existence, too, one where I also don’t have people knocking at my office door every hour.

My friend is going through a similar transition from a job full of tasks to one that is quieter and solitary with more space to spend time alone with God. Our discussion soon turned to a temptation that arises in her heart, which I, too, often experience: the fear that we’re not being productive.

Productivity is so valued in our society that it can unconsciously become a measure of our value and a source of our identity. When we step away from that kind of pace, we begin to wonder: does my life really contribute to the world if I’m not...

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