December holds a special place in my heart. It’s my birthday month, and being a December baby brings its own unique experience—sharing your special day with the festive busyness of the season. Fellow December-born friends understand.
This year, when friends asked, “What do you want for your birthday?” my answer was clear: rest.
As I approach 53, I find myself reflecting on my 50th birthday. At the time, everyone expected me to do something big for the milestone. A grand celebration? A bucket-list trip? Instead, I retreated to the desert, seeking solitude.
I checked into a beautiful hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona. When I walked into my room, I found an Edible Eats arrangement waiting for me—chocolate-dipped fruit lovingly arranged by Pastor Andrew Carter and his wife, Kyra, who had worked with my assistant, Autumn, to surprise me. It brought me to tears.
Outside, vibrant lemons hung from trees on the patio. As I stood there, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. God met me in that room. His presence filled every corner, silencing every worry, every longing, and every unanswered question. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t striving or bargaining. I was simply resting.
It was a turning point.
That year, it was prophesied over me that I was stepping into a season of perpetual Jubilee. Jubilee is about restoration, renewal, and most importantly, rest. Over the years, I’ve learned to embrace that truth.
This longing for rest reminds me of my father, a fellow December baby, and the final days I spent with him in the hospital. I’ll never forget a nurse who cared for him. She had a way of bringing him to life, even in his weakest moments. One day, I asked him, “Dad, what is it about her?”
He looked at me and said, “She’s complete.”
That word stayed with me: complete.
The nurse wasn’t extraordinary in a flashy way. She was in her sixties or seventies, and her presence radiated peace. She moved with the kind of confidence that only comes from a life anchored in God.
James 1:4 says: “Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
And I realized: completion is the byproduct of rest.
For years, I searched for completeness—in roles, relationships, and titles—only to find that nothing satisfies like the love of God.
As women, we often search endlessly. We scroll, sigh, and click, hoping to fill the void. But true rest, true completeness, isn’t something we can find out there. It’s found at His feet.
When I turned 50, those three days in the desert changed me. I experienced the weight of God’s glory—a double portion for every tear, mistake, and hurt. That rest, that glory, is my prayer for you as we step into 2025.
Jesus said, “It is finished,” and in that moment, He invited us into a rest that brings peace, freedom, and wholeness.
This year, my wish is simple: rest. Rest for me, rest for you, rest in the knowing that God is enough.
May we step into this new season anchored in His presence, complete in Him.
With love,
Shannon Evette
If you’re ready to embrace rest and renewal, HolyFlow offers tools like breathwork, sound healing, and scripture meditations to help you align with God and find peace. Start your journey today by clicking here.
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