“but only God, who makes things grow."

Let’s get into it…

Ever start to feel like your hard work is paying off and you forget God did that, not you?

This month, we’re sitting in the tension of hustle and holiness. Of showing up and surrendering. Of working like it depends on us—because sometimes it feels like it does—but knowing deep down that the outcomes are never really ours to control.

Let’s talk about the beautiful, gritty dance of faith and effort. Let’s talk about what it means to build something with your hands and still know: only God makes it grow.

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."1 Corinthians 3:6-7

Work Was God's Idea (Yes, Even Before Caffeine Was Discovered)

Let’s go back to the beginning—literally. Before there was sin, shame, or stress, there was work. In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam a job: tend the garden. Cultivate. Steward. Create. Work wasn’t a punishment; it was a purpose.

Genesis tells us that God looked at His creation and called it "very good," and that includes work. So when you answer that email, prep that lesson plan, scrub that yogurt off the couch (again), or run your business with excellence—you are doing something sacred.

But don’t miss this: the garden was God’s. Adam was the caretaker, not the Creator. We are invited to partner in His work, not perform for approval.

You Can Power Through, But You Better Be Praying

We all love a good productivity tip. (Give me a color-coded calendar and I’m unstoppable...) But as much as we believe in systems and strategy, we have to remember: God builds it.

Psalm 127:1 says, "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain."

Your spreadsheets, your all-nighters, your perfectly written Instagram captions—none of it means anything if God isn’t in it. But when He is? Even your imperfect, messy efforts can move mountains.

You can’t outwork God. You can’t underperform His purpose. You can’t ruin what He had planned before you were born.

So yes, show up with excellence. But don’t carry what was never yours to hold. My dad always says, “Work like it depends on you, but pray like it all depends on God.” Because it does.

Where Effort Ends and Trust Begins

Once you realize the following things, you can experience a little freedom from the endless pursuit of hustle. These phrases aren’t said a lot because they don’t sound good on social media, but they’re true nonetheless.

• I am not enough. (That’s right. I said. You’re NOT! God didn’t make you that way. He made you dependent on Him.)

• Hard work may not pay off. (Oops. I went there, too! Hard work MAY pay off. But God has the final say. “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9)

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Now before you stop reading because I made you sad, just relax for a minute. Those truths should be a RELIEF! Thank God that I don’t have to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. I get to rest and trust in an infinitely powerful God that loves me and wants to care for me.

Here's the truth I'm clinging to instead of popular insta-quotes: You could never work hard enough to achieve something God doesn't want for you. And you could never mess things up so badly that you ruin His plans.

That’s not permission to slack off—that’s permission to exhale. To trust. To surrender.

Because if He wants it built, He will build it.

This just scratches the surface on a lot of discussions about sovereignty and our purpose. Let your mind go there. God is not scared of your questions. And I’m here too if you want to wrestle together.

My Life Right Now…

The last few months have been a rebuilding and restructuring season for our family’s school ministry, Lakeside Christian Academy. We are 10 years old and have had hard lesson after hard lesson. God is faithful in the hard stuff and He grows us through that, but if we would’ve quit, I don’t think people would’ve been surprised. (Honestly, some would’ve celebrated.) But we didn’t. Because we believe when God calls you to it, He’ll lead you through it. (No, really. Our family says that rhyme often…)

I know I’m not the only one here that wonders if all the work will be worth it, or if God has forgotten me at times. Talk about the doubts, the resistance, maybe even the critics who rooted against you. But God made His presence known. And when God reminds you He’s in the driver seat, you need to just buckle in and try to keep up! All of our hard work could never accomplish the miraculous work of the Lord that we’re seeing every day in our lives and ministries. And all of our failures could never remove His hand from what he chooses to do in us and through us.

Don’t mistake a setback for failure, and don’t get impatient in your faithfulness waiting on the Lord to finish what He started. This quote isn’t from the Bible, but it sure pumps me up when I think about “the haters” in my life:

"They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds."

God builds what He wants, when he wants, and He uses faithful people to do it.

This Month's Check-In:

• Where am I working from striving instead of surrender?

• What am I carrying that belongs to God?

• How can I show up with excellence while still trusting His outcome?

• How is my self-reliance vs God-reliance meter doing?

Resource I’m Loving

This month’s resource isn’t a book, it’s a song. Play it on repeat if you must. “Authority” by Brooke Ligertwood. One word from the Lord almighty can shift heaven and earth. Don’t forget that!

A Prayer for the Builders

Lord, thank You for giving us purpose in our work. Thank You for the reminder that our calling is not a performance but a partnership. Help us to show up with diligence, but never forget that You are the one who builds, who sustains, who brings the increase. Teach us to rest in Your sovereignty and trust You with every outcome. Amen.

Keep building. Keep praying. Keep showing up.

Because He’s the Architect, and you are part of the plan.

Gracefully Grinding, (still workshopping that)

Monica Lynch