Cue “Still,” by Mali Music; I woke up Monday morning ready. After an eventful weekend with my little cousin, I was charged up. My mind was buzzing with new ideas, plans, and all the ways I wanted to push this business forward. I was ready to implement, ready to create, ready to move.

But then — a scratchy throat. Just a little one, but it made me pause. Not now, I thought. I don’t have time for this.

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By Tuesday, I didn’t get a choice. I was flat on my back all day. Then somehow at night, I found myself at a friend’s birthday dinner, trying to keep it together. But before I even made it home, my whole dinner had a formal introduction to the concrete outside. My stomach said, No ma’am. The sickness and the food? They weren’t happening.

So, I surrendered.

Laid Out Lessons

Two whole days of wheezing, coughing, chest congestion. Multiple hot showers to steam it out. Vicks VapoRub rubbed on my chest like I was ten years old again. And yes, bowls of homemade chicken noodle soup. That was my table this week.

No flowers. No writing. No business plans. Just me, my body, and God saying, “Girl, SIT DOWN.”

And if I’m being real? I didn’t want to. I wanted to keep pushing through, keep producing, keep showing up for everybody and everything. But sometimes God allows us to be still because He knows we won’t stop on our own.

Back to the Basics of Rest

This week reminded me that back to the basics isn’t just about the work we do — it’s about the rest we allow.

Even in Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth in six days… and then He rested. Think about that. The God of the universe paused, not because He needed to, but to show us that rest is sacred. If God Himself modeled rest, who am I to think I can outwork God?

What I Learned While Laid Up

  • Your body will speak when your spirit has been whispering. Mine said slow down.

  • Rest is not optional. It’s part of the assignment. It’s the pause that keeps you from breaking.

  • Community matters. The texts, the prayers, the “you good?” messages reminded me that I’m covered.

  • Comfort is holy too. Showers, Vicks, and soup are not just remedies — they’re restoration tools.

  • Your health is worship. Even with bills due and past due, my praise and worship this week was in my rest. Listening to God in the stillness was massive. Letting my body reset was huge. And it reminded me — I need to get back in shape. Between the Shake Shack burgers and the Fellini’s pizza, I am no longer built like a 20-year-old. My health matters. My rest matters. And my worship is in the rest, too. Whew, that was a word — because a girl who doesn’t know how to rest sure learned this week. LOL but Amen.

The Table This Week

At this week’s table, there was no styled dinner party, no playlist queued up, no big floral centerpiece. Instead, there was steam from hot showers, bowls of soup, tissues, and long stretches of silence.

And you know what? That was enough.

Because fellowship doesn’t always mean gathering in laughter. Sometimes it looks like gathering in grief. Sometimes it looks like leaning on a friend. And sometimes… it looks like sitting in your own bed, letting God restore you from the inside out.

The Reminder

Back to the basics means remembering that life doesn’t always have to be flashy. It doesn’t always have to be productive. It doesn’t always have to be shared.

Sometimes, the holiest thing you can do is sleep.
Sometimes, the most spiritual thing you can do is drink your soup and breathe through the Vicks.
Sometimes, saying “Amen” is just choosing to let your body and spirit rest.

So if you’re reading this and you’re tired, worn out, or trying to push through when your body is begging you to stop — hear me:

Rest.
It is so.
Amen.

At the Table with Ronisha is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.