Challenge Brings Out the Best

“Human beings, it seems, are at their best when immersed deeply in something challenging.”

— Cal Newport, Deep Work, p. 84

What we think we want isn’t always what we need.

For instance, we imagine that life would be great if we had a long stretch of time when we didn’t have anything to do and no responsibilities. Yet we get a few days off, and after a while we start to feel restless and bored. We need something to do.

Don’t get me wrong—rest is good and absolutely necessary. In fact, God gave Israel the idea of the Sabbath for this very purpose. Yet there’s something odd that happens when free time is all we have: it rarely refreshes us as much as we expected.

One of my favorite habits is flipping back through books I’ve read to revisit the highlights. The other day, while doing this with Cal Newport’s Deep Work, I paused on a quote where Newport summarizes the research of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi—the man who studied the “flow state,” that experience of being fully absorbed in a meaningful, challenging activity. His conclusion?

“Ironically, jobs are actually easier to enjoy than free time, because like flow activities they have built-in goals, feedback rules, and challenges, all of which encourage one to become involved in one’s work, to concentrate and lose oneself in it. Free time, on the other hand, is unstructured, and requires much greater effort to be shaped into something that can be enjoyed.”

I find this fascinating. We tell ourselves that unstructured time is what we need, but the reality is that most of us thrive with the structure that comes with work. Not only does work provide a plan for the day, but it often provides us with the goals and feedback we need to make life productive.

This means having more time to relax won’t necessarily make us happier. Our goal shouldn’t be to reduce effort, avoid stress, and stay comfortable—those things have their place, but I think this research pushes us to consider something deeper about how God designed us.

Why We Crave Challenge More Than Comfort

Newport points out that most people assume happiness comes from leisure. Yet when researchers measured people’s emotional states throughout the day, they consistently discovered the opposite: people were happier at work than during their free time.

Why?

Because meaningful work gives us structure, purpose, and feedback. It engages the mind. It stretches our skills. It calls something out of us. We are created to be productive, and therefore we have a desire in our hearts to spend our lives doing something meaningful.

Free time, on the other hand, is unstructured. It requires intention and effort to shape into something fulfilling. Left on its own, it usually gets filled with scrolling, grazing, or drifting—which often leaves us feeling like we’ve wasted our time.

It’s not that free time is bad—we need time to rest and find restoration. But we need to understand that we come alive when we’re engaged in work that demands our best.

We were made for purpose, not passivity.

A Biblical Echo

This insight into human nature aligns wonderfully with the biblical story of God’s purpose for people.

Adam was not placed in Eden to rest; he was given the responsibility of caring for God’s good creation (Genesis 2:15). Work was part of God’s good design from the beginning.

Paul wrote: 

“But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more, to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone” — (1 Thessalonians 4:10-12, CSB).

Wholehearted work is not a curse that resulted from sin. It is the way we take care of God’s creation and represent Him well in the world.

Even Jesus spoke about the satisfaction that comes from doing the Father’s will: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34).

There is joy in meaningful work and productivity. It’s the joy of using what God has given us and not letting time slip through our fingers.

Where We Lose Our Way

Unfortunately, in our modern world, we often make comfort the goal of life. We believe the good life is the easy life. We dream of more vacations and fun, fewer responsibilities, and an escape from anything that requires sustained effort.

But that dream fails us.

A life of ease doesn’t fulfill the desire of our hearts. There’s little doubt that we need moments of rest and relaxation to enjoy the world God has given us, but we also find our purpose through working in this world. 

Adam and Eve were to be stewards of creation, and that responsibility continues in us. This is why we find joy in creating new things and pleasure in bringing old things back to life. It’s why things like gardening, sewing, and woodworking are hobbies that people pursue—they’re outlets for both creativity and productivity, and they bring us rest and satisfaction in the work we’ve accomplished.

Endless scrolling and lounging on the couch may not be work, but they often don’t bring rest either, because they don’t meet the deeper desires of our hearts—desires for meaning and purpose.

It’s crucial to remember: a life of ease doesn’t bring us the happiness we think is there. The joy we need is found on the other side of a structured life and meaningful work.

Your Deep Work Might Be Different—But You Have One

What does this mean for us?

I have to admit that not all work is created equal. Yes, there are times when you feel like you’re just going through the motions at work, and the structure it provides isn’t as beneficial as it used to be. What this means is that we have to be the ones who put structure into our days.

This looks like building in routines that help us exercise, journal, meditate, and pray. It means finding hobbies that become part of our lives—maybe even treating them like appointments in our week—because we know they provide the structure and creativity our hearts need. It’s telling ourselves that things like helping our children with homework, doing dishes, folding laundry, and the thousands of other responsibilities are part of what it takes for our corner of the world to flourish.

Colossians 3:17 has become something of a life verse for me: 

“And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (CSB).

This is the perspective we need to make our work meaningful, because it reminds us that what we do is for the good of God’s Kingdom.

An Invitation to Go Deep

Here’s the question I’m asking myself after reflecting on Newport’s words: What structure do I need to add to my day to make my work meaningful and productive?

This is important because that’s the type of work that brings joy and gratitude into our lives.

And maybe you can ask yourself: Where would I thrive if I allowed myself to be challenged instead of staying distracted and comfortable?

Because here’s the truth Csikszentmihalyi discovered and the Bible affirms:

You were made to stretch.  

You were created to invest.  

You are at your best when you give yourself to something meaningful.

Not endlessly busy.  

Not hurried.  

But deeply engaged.

That’s where joy lives.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

The Word Brings Light

Text: John 1:1–5

Scientists recently discovered something fascinating about light. The way we interact with light throughout the day doesn’t just affect our eyes—it shapes our emotions, our sleep, our memory, and even our ability to concentrate. In a study of over 300 people, researchers found that our “light behaviors” matter far more than we realize.

Think of it this way: just as we’ve learned that what we eat affects our physical and mental health, we’re now learning that we also need a healthy diet of light.

Those of us in the upper Midwest don’t need much convincing. Every year, beginning in September, the days shorten and the nights stretch longer. Less sunlight, colder temperatures, and more time indoors combine to create that familiar sense of heaviness that lingers from November through March. We feel it in our bodies—and often in our souls.

The study revealed three important things. First, people who spent more time outside in natural sunlight reported better moods and healthier sleep rhythms. Their bodies knew when to wake and when to rest—they were living in harmony with the rhythms God built into creation. Second, those who scrolled on their phones late into the evening struggled with delayed sleep, poor rest, and foggy thinking. Artificial blue light was telling their bodies it was still daytime when God designed it to be night. Third, people who used bright, natural-spectrum light in the morning slept better at night and felt more alert during the day. They aligned their habits with the order God established—and they flourished.

Why does this matter? Because our bodies still remember God’s original design: light and darkness, day and night. When we honor that rhythm, we thrive. When we resist it, we struggle.

That brings us to Christmas—and to the opening words of John’s Gospel.

John doesn’t begin the Christmas story with shepherds or angels or Bethlehem. He goes back further. Much further. “In the beginning…” Before creation. Before light and darkness. Before anything existed at all. John wants us to understand that Christmas is not simply about a baby born in a manger—it is about Light entering darkness at the deepest possible level.

John calls Jesus “the Word.” To Greek readers, logos referred to the rational principle that ordered the universe. To Jewish readers, God’s Word was His powerful self-expression—the force behind creation, covenant, law, wisdom, and salvation. John brings these ideas together and makes a stunning claim: the Word is not an idea, a principle, or a philosophy. The Word is a Person. And His name is Jesus.

The Word Is Eternal

John deliberately echoes Genesis 1: “In the beginning…” Jesus did not begin in Bethlehem. He did not start in Mary’s womb. He is eternal. He was with God. He is God. This is why His light matters. Jesus is not merely a teacher or moral example—He is the eternal Creator stepping into His creation. Christmas celebrates the infinite taking on the finite so that our darkness might be illuminated.

The Word Gives Life

John continues, “In Him was life.” Not just biological life, but true life—spiritual life, eternal life, life as God intended it to be lived. Life is not merely something Jesus gives; life is who He is. Just as all creation draws its existence from Him, so does our hope, our renewal, and our salvation. And John makes this beautiful connection: “That life was the light of men.” The life Jesus gives becomes the light we need—revealing truth, exposing what is broken, and guiding us toward what is good. It awakens the soul the way morning sunlight awakens the body.

The Word Brings Light Darkness Cannot Overcome

“The light shines in the darkness,” John writes, “and yet the darkness did not overcome it.” Darkness is real—sin, fear, confusion, grief, and a world that often feels like it’s unraveling. But darkness is not equal to light. Light always wins. Walk into the darkest room and turn on the smallest flashlight—darkness flees. That’s Christmas. Jesus didn’t come to avoid darkness; He came to invade it. And darkness cannot stop Him.

So let’s return to those discoveries about light. When people aligned their habits with God’s created rhythms, they thrived. When they didn’t, they struggled. The parallel is striking. Just as we need physical light to flourish, we need God’s Light even more.

What if spiritual burnout, discouragement, or numbness has less to do with our circumstances and more to do with our spiritual light diet?

Morning sunlight wakes the body—morning time with Jesus wakes the heart. Natural light elevates mood—time in God’s presence fills us with joy. Late-night screen time disrupts rest—constant noise and anxiety disrupt our peace. Darkness restores the body—Sabbath rest restores the soul.

Christmas reminds us of this simple truth: the Light of the world has come. Jesus, the eternal Word, stepped into the darkness to bring us life and light. So make intentional space in your daily rhythms for His light—through prayer, Scripture, worship, fellowship, gratitude, and service. Your soul needs it.

From the beginning, God established a rhythm: light and darkness. Our bodies still feel it. Our hearts still long for it. And at Christmas, God didn’t just create light—He became light. His light still shines, and nothing can extinguish it.

The Light has come.

Are we walking in Him?

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

Sunday Prayer: Live with Joy, Peace, and Harmony

 2 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT)

Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

God of love and peace,

You call us to a life shaped by joy, growth, and unity. Fill our hearts with a deep and steady joy that flows from knowing You and walking in Your truth. Continue Your work in us—maturing our faith, refining our character, and shaping us to reflect Christ more fully.

Help us to be people who encourage one another with our words and our lives. Teach us to build up rather than tear down, to speak grace, and to walk patiently with one another. Draw us into harmony, even when it is difficult, and lead us into the peace that comes from humility and love.

As we pursue these things, may Your presence be evident among us. Let the God of love and peace dwell richly in our hearts, our relationships, and our community.

We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.

The Spiritual Discipline of Subtraction

In one of the Wild at Heart podcasts (I don’t remember which one), Blaine Eldredge made a statement that caused me to stop and ponder:

“We talk about the mistake of adding when the life with God is largely about subtraction or replacement.”

I think this is a great insight. Most of us approach the Christian life like students eager for extra credit. We want to know what we can add to our already busy schedules—more Bible studies, more service projects, more activities. Deep down we think, If I can just stack enough good things together, then God will surely be pleased with me.

But Scripture shows us that life with God doesn’t begin with addition. More often than not, it begins with subtraction.

The Rich Young Ruler’s Dilemma

In Mark 10:17–22 we meet the rich young ruler who runs up to Jesus and asks, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He is ready to add. His mindset is clear: Give me the next good work to tack onto my already impressive résumé.

Yet Jesus doesn’t add to his list. He subtracts. “You lack one thing: Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor… and come, follow me.”

The man went away sorrowful because the subtraction Jesus asked from him was too costly. His identity and security were wrapped up in wealth and position, and letting them go seemed impossible.

This encounter forces us to wrestle with a hard truth: sometimes the next step in following Jesus is not about doing more but about letting go of what already fills our hands.

The Burden of Addition

Our culture prizes addition. We measure our worth by accomplishments, possessions, and activities. Even in the church, busyness can masquerade as faithfulness. The problem is that constant addition eventually leads to exhaustion. We keep piling on responsibilities, hobbies, commitments, and distractions until we have no margin left to truly abide in Christ.

When Jesus says in Matthew 11:28–30, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” He is offering a radically different way. His yoke is easy not because He expects nothing, but because He invites us to lay down the weight of unnecessary additions and to walk in the simplicity of love, obedience, and trust.

The Call to Subtraction

What might subtraction look like for us today? 

• Subtracting distractions: stepping away from the endless scroll of Netflix, social media, or news cycles that consume our time and attention.
• Subtracting misplaced loyalties: disentangling our identity from politics or culture wars that promise salvation but cannot deliver it.
• Subtracting busyness: saying no to the tyranny of schedules that leave no room for prayer, rest, or community.
• Subtracting idols: releasing whatever we cling to for security—money, reputation, success, or even good things like ministry—that keep us from depending fully on Jesus.

Paul captures this in Philippians 3:7–8: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” 

Subtraction is not about depriving ourselves—it is about clearing space for the greater treasure of Christ Himself.

Subtraction as Freedom

When we think about subtraction, it feels like loss. But in God’s economy, subtraction is freedom. By letting go, we make room for God’s presence. By releasing what enslaves us, we discover true rest. By losing our lives, we find them (Matthew 16:25).

The goal isn’t simply to have less but to make space for what matters most: abiding in Jesus. Subtraction clears the clutter so that the voice of the Shepherd can be heard above the noise.

A Question to Carry

So here’s the question I’ve been pondering—and I invite you to ponder it with me:

What is Jesus calling you to subtract from your life?

It may be something that seems valuable. It may feel like a responsibility. It may even be something that has defined you for years. But if it keeps you from abiding in Jesus, it is worth letting go.

Following Jesus isn’t about stacking up spiritual achievements. It’s about living with open hands—willing to subtract whatever competes with Him, so that our lives can be filled with the only One who truly satisfies.

Paul’s Ponderings is a blog dedicated to reflecting on Scripture and encouraging believers to live out their faith with love and purpose.