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This is a quiet corner of the internet — a space for stories, reflections, and reminders that you don’t have to be perfect to be deeply loved. At The Rusted Sparrow, we embrace grace over hustle, rest over performance, and beauty in the rust. Whether you're weary, wondering, or simply looking for a softer place to land, you're welcome here.

When Nothing Feels “Productive” Enough

  • Brianne Thomas
  • Sep 12
  • 2 min read

I had a day last week that I still don’t know what to call. I didn’t cry, didn’t break anything, didn’t spiral. But I also didn’t get much done. At least not in the usual sense.


The to-do list sat half-checked. The laundry made it as far as the washer, not the dryer. I responded to texts in my head but forgot to hit send. And by the time dinner rolled around (cereal, by the way), I felt like I had just been... floating.


Not sinking. Not swimming. Just drifting.


I used to hate days like that. Still kind of do. But I’m learning that feeling “unproductive” doesn't mean the day was a waste. It means my soul might have been doing work that doesn’t show up in a checklist.


Because here’s what did happen that day:

  • I noticed the light coming through the kitchen window and actually stood there to enjoy it.

  • I sat on the porch steps for ten whole minutes with my dog’s head on my lap.

  • I didn’t say the sharp thing I wanted to say when someone in my house was being difficult.

  • I took a nap and called it recovery, not laziness.


That’s soul work. Quiet, invisible, sacred.

“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” – Isaiah 30:15

God didn’t design us for 100% output. He designed us for rhythms: light and dark, sowing and resting, pouring out and filling up. Even Jesus got in a boat and left the crowds. Even He sat at a table with friends instead of healing the next person.


So if your day didn’t feel productive in the traditional sense, but you stayed gentle…if you didn’t quit…if you softened when you wanted to harden…if you let yourself rest instead of hustling for worth—


Friend, that counts.


That matters.


The world won’t applaud you for that kind of quiet strength, but heaven sees it. And I promise it changes things. Maybe not with confetti or fanfare, but in a slow, deep way that grows something strong.


So tonight, don’t beat yourself up for drifting. Call it what it was: a quiet kind of progress.


You're still becoming. And even in this season, that is more than enough.


🕊️ With grace and grit,


—The Rusted Sparrow

 
 
 

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