His Grace is Sufficient: How Daily Spiritual and Physical Rhythms Ground Creatures of Habit

By: Michaela Estruth

If you’re reading this, I’m proud of you.   

I may not even know you, but I know the Hillsdale student. If you’re reading this, it means you aren’t doing your English reading. You’re not finishing your Chemistry 101 lab. You're not sending that RA email you were supposed to send yesterday. You’re not researching for that term paper that’s actually approaching much sooner than you’d care to admit. Am I stressing you out? Sorry, my bad.  

Sadly, even though you’re (hopefully) still reading this, you’re also thinking about all those things I mentioned, or whatever “to dos” form your list today. And let’s be brutally honest, you were thinking about them before I said anything.  

I don’t think my brain is ever silent. Now granted, that’s partly because I’m a woman, and the Lord has truly programmed the female brain to analyze and juggle multiple signals simultaneously. Look at any mom, and you’ll see what I mean. It’s not just a relational phenomenon—it’s literally scientifically and physiologically proven. This design, however, does not mean women are supposed to never pause, never rest, or never be still. In fact, such a lifestyle is unsustainable, detrimental, and quite honestly, not God-honoring.  

I know several women (myself included) who “run on stress” until their bodies literally begin to malfunction. This malfunction can manifest itself in various ways—panic attacks, mental or emotional breakdowns, cycle irregularity (or complete disappearance—pay attention to it, gals! It’s a sign of overall health), prolonged sickness, ovarian cysts (often diagnosed from over-stress)...I could go on. It’s not a coincidence that these physical ailments hit at the most stressful parts of the semester. Our bodies are literally saying: “I need rest, and if you won’t give it to me, I’ll force you to stop in your tracks and lie in your bed.” 

Now, please don’t mishear me. I’m not pointing fingers. I remember the stress of a semester, of an RA, of friendship or relationship drama. I’m literally the girl who took multiple exams with a high fever, and who was bed-ridden the week she was supposed to move across the country with a fever and eye ulcer (it’s a humorous story if you ever want to hear it).   

Truly, incapacity humbles the individual to rely on the aid of others and the strength of Christ alone. That’s because much of that ambitious drive or hyper-focused stress is actually rooted in pride. Yes, pride—the root of all evil. 

We are so centered on what we need to get done, why it has to be perfect, how we have to be there to support that person (yes, people-pleasing is a form of pride—and wow, am I so guilty of it!), that we dismiss Christ who stands in front of us saying: “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-30).  

The counter to prideful sinners is our gracious God. He is patient, loving, and omnipotent. He says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).  

In weakness, Hillsdale women. We must admit how weak we are. How insufficient even our greatest strength is. Yes, “strength rejoices in the challenge,” but that’s primarily because God’s grace rejoices in weakness. So, we ought to respond with Paul saying, “I rejoice all the more in my weakness, for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).  

It is only by His grace that we take each breath, that we even open our eyes each morning: “You hold my eyelids open,” Asaph the psalmist writes (Psalm 77:4). Our response should be utter thanksgiving and devotion to live for Him.  

Every page read, every word written, every RA desk shift completed, every sorority chapter held, every meal eaten, every workout completed—all should be for His glory. But we can’t be living for Christ if we are running on empty fumes of prideful stress.   

The Lord, in His absolute providence and goodness, designed us as embodied beings—meaning that our physical lives impact our spiritual well-being, and vice versa. If we are failing to steward those aspects well, we are failing to glorify God “in our bodies and in our spirits,” as His temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). As Christian women, we must conduct ourselves—body, soul, and spirit—with a Christ-centric attitude.  

We can’t do that well if our bodies, brains, and souls never rest. We can’t be Christ-centric if we fail to order our lives with Him as our foremost thought.  

So finally, I come to the title of this piece: daily rhythms and spiritual habits. As busy Hillsdale students (or simply normal human beings, because—shocker—daily life is actually just as busy and stressful, if not more so), we must consciously implement time to cultivate spiritual and physical health. Otherwise, these goals will fall through the cracks. They will become “next week” or “after my midterms” items. 

We become the habits with which we daily choose to structure our lives. Augustine discussed this, most pointedly in his Confessions regarding his own sin of lust, which became indulgence, became habit, and then became “necessity,” as he described. Aristotle, as Dr. Arnn often reminds us, also emphasized this point in his writings on human choice. Every choice engraves a mark in our soul. Our souls and bodies are programmed based on the daily choices we make. 

We can choose good habits or detrimental ones, and obviously, the spectrum varies. Augustine’s choice of lust, as he admits, was an enslaving sin. I’d also argue, the choice of repeated 2:00 a.m. nights becomes an enslaving habit. Granted, one is outright sin and one is simply unhealthy, but the point remains: replacing poor habits with good rhythms is an essential aspect of daily life that will sustain you through various seasons and prioritize your faith and service to Christ above all else.  

I’ll give some practical examples, but I also want to emphasize that you must choose the rhythms that best order your day.   

Daily or frequent exercise is essential for me to maintain not only a healthy body but a lower level of stress and anxiety. I choose to begin my days with runs or exercise routines to order every morning around physical health and mental processing. Like I said, my brain hardly ever shuts off, but this hour(ish) of physical exertion allows my brain to process current stresses or challenges while simultaneously strengthening my physical body. Exercise releases dopamine, and it’s medically proven to lower struggles with depression and anxiety. I truly notice a difference on days I fail to exercise because I have not given my brain the same level of dopamine as typical.  

Second, but more important is daily time in God’s Word and in prayer. I can affirm firsthand that, for me, if this does not happen in the morning, it will not happen. After my exercise, I sit down with my Bible, prayer journal, and cup of coffee to bring those things my brain was processing to the Lord. My brain is quite the distracted organ, so I use a prayer journal to write out every word of my prayers. It forces me to focus on that prayer. Otherwise, I just begin thinking about what I’m praying about (like that midterm tomorrow or a relationship) instead of truly offering such anxieties to the Lord. A prayer journal is a beautiful way to reflect on the Lord’s faithfulness and provision in various seasons. I highly recommend Hosanna Revival’s notebooks! 

 Writing in my journal also challenges me to pray for specific people and their needs. If I’ve said I’ll be praying for someone, I better have their name in that journal, otherwise I’m a hypocrite (guilty as charged). Praying for others by name also forces my heart and mind to focus on others, not merely myself. If we aren’t careful, prayer can become self-centered and, again, prideful.  

I began these rhythms about two months into my freshman year of college when I realized my mental, emotional, and physical health were suffering. At first, the challenge was extreme. I didn’t want to wake up early or add more to my schedule. But now, they are ingrained as such a daily part of life that is so natural I don’t really think about it. I joke that my morning routine is two hours, but that’s really because of these rhythms, not the typical “hair and makeup” category. 

I cannot adequately explain how greatly these habits have deepened my faith. They also make me a kinder, more gracious and patient person. I know this because I would often depart from this routine over holiday breaks, and I soon became a grump. Finally, I learned that even away from school, I should continue these habits.  

Now, they have carried me through various seasons, states, and decisions. I traveled many places this summer for various jobs, and these habits truly structured my day no matter what random hotel I was sleeping in or what lay before me.  

I’m not a big advocate of “self-care” in the cultural sense (think bath bombs, nail salons, shopping sprees). But I do believe, as much as God made us for community, He also made us for Himself. Augustine again: “Thou hast made us for thyself and our hearts are restless till they rest in you.” How can we live for Him if we don’t give appropriate time to Him?  

Even Christ removed Himself from His friends and those He was serving to be alone with His Father: His time in the wilderness, His time after feeding the 5000, His time in the Garden of Gethsemane, etc. We must imitate Him in setting aside time to be in communion with The Father, Son, and Spirit. 

We must bring “everything in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving” to the Lord, so that “the peace of God which surpasses understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Philippians 4:6-7). We must train our minds to meditate on what is “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8).  

Find the rhythms that enable you to obey these commands, implementing a daily structure of submission and supplication to Christ. Prioritize your spiritual and physical health above your 10-page paper. Christ will strengthen and sustain you to complete that task unto Him while offering your soul for His glory. 

His grace is sufficient. Trust Him. 

Michaela Estruth ‘25

I write for The Lion, a publication of The Herzog Foundation, a Christian organization focused on supporting K-12 education. My day consists of reporting and writing on breaking news, culture, life, gender, and biblical values. I’m a quality time and words gal, which basically means conversations are my favorite. The meal and coffee culture of Hillsdale is a rare experience that I deeply loved and truly miss. I’m always down for coffee, a meal, a walk, or a call! I’m blessed with an incredible family and am an aunt to the two cutest kids alive (in my humble opinion). I love spending time in God’s creation—whether it’s running, hiking, laking (yes I made up that word), or just sitting. A little bit of sun always makes the day better in my opinion. A good Saturday for me consists of a long run, everything shower, trip to the local farmer’s market, apartment-clean, meal prep, and time with friends or family. If I’m not spending time with friends or family, catch me writing deep thoughts in a cute coffee shop, or cooking and baking fun, new recipes. Most importantly, Christ is my Savior, Father, protector, friend, and comforter. I’m saved by His grace alone and truly rely on that grace every moment of every day.