Three reasons we’re not made to be productivity machines

My stomach hurt every day—it happened like clockwork. Promotion after promotion had landed me a much-coveted job planning events for the Houston Astros, but my body didn’t seem to understand that. I often felt exhausted and fragile… but I didn’t know why. For crying out loud, I was Jill McCormick, didn’t my body know that?

For years, I convinced myself that I was more than human: I was a productivity machine.

Machines don’t have sick days, feelings, or a soul, but since I was human, I denied these things to my detriment. God created us to have an integrated and complete human experience, yet I continually tried to ignore and dismiss any unpleasant ache, feeling or conviction so that I could keep producing at an ever-increasing speed.

God doesn’t make machines, He creates people with whom He longs to have a relationship. He rejoices that you’re His kid, not His most productive worker bee. Let’s give ourselves permission to stop being machines and become humans again.

As a machine, I treat my body as a tool and forget that it’s God’s temple.

As an Achiever, one who depends more on self and less on the God of amazing grace, I’ve believed that my body was a tool to be used to further my productivity. But our bodies, I think, are the smartest parts of us because they point us to our emotions: our shoulders are in knots due to stress, our cheeks are flushed because of embarrassment, or our hearts race out of fear. Yet our brain says to ignore what our body is telling us because we believe that we’re too busy, important, or overwhelmed to listen.

Our bodies are trying to tell us something is not right, but so often we refuse to listen. What is your body telling you?

When Jesus came to earth, He took on flesh. He didn’t come as a nebulous being, but as skin and bone and muscle and brain. May we value our bodies as His temples that He gave to us to point us to Him. May we realize that they are sometimes wiser than our brains and that they speak to us if we are willing to listen.

As a machine, I push down emotions, but God calls me to acknowledge them and bring them to Him.

Machines don’t have emotions, and my goal was to be a machine. Lesser mortals are free to cry and feel sorry for themselves, but I had work to do. I admired the ancient Stoics who believed that, through suppression and willpower, all emotions could be managed. Shouldn’t I be above petty feelings like envy, jealousy, and hurt?

Adam S. McHugh writes in The Listening Life, “Emotions are internal indicators of how we are doing and what is right, and what is wrong, with our circumstances and relationships.” He goes on to say that emotions are “indicators, pointing at something beyond themselves, namely needs.”

Timothy Keller writes in Walking with God through Pain and Suffering, “To deny your hurt – to tell yourself you are just fine, thank you – means you will likely pay a price later. You may find yourself blowing up, or breaking down, or falling apart suddenly. Then you realize you were kidding yourself. You hurt more than you thought you did.”

Our emotions are trying to point us to what is right and wrong and to what needs we have. What emotions have you been feeling lately, and to what unmet need are they pointing?

When Jesus came to earth, He felt His feelings. We all know that Jesus wept, that His heart became troubled, and that He got angry. Emotions are not to be denied but to be acknowledged. Bring Jesus your emotions instead of stuffing them down or scolding yourself for having them. He’ll meet you where you are.

As a machine, I don’t care for my soul even though it’s what Jesus came to save.

My soul, my inner spirit comprised of mind, emotions, passions, and will, seemed to get in my way of my work. My soul is the part of me that glorifies God and needs the anchor of Him, but it can be overwhelmed and forfeited. My soul needs rest, yet I don’t want to take the time for it. At the altar of productivity, there’s no time for rest—there’s only time for doing.

Our bodies may be alive, but our souls can feel like they’re dying. When we soldier on and neglect our inner spirit, we can feel numb. What is your soul whispering to you today?

When Jesus came to earth, He cared for His soul. Jesus took care of His soul by talking to His Father, eating and laughing with His disciples, building cabinets and preaching the good news. May we wake up to the fact that we have a soul that should be cared for because we have a God who died to save it. Caring for our soul is holy work. Our souls sum up who we are, so let’s invest time there.

I no longer work for the Astros, but I’m still prone to power through as a mom-and-writing machine. So many days I find myself saying these exact words: “You have permission to rest right now,” or “It’s okay to be upset that she was so harsh with you,” or “Have you talked to God about that today?”

God tells me that I am far more than the sum of my parts. He created me as a human, not a machine, and He wants a relationship with this girl. That goes for you too.