​When Home Becomes My Sanctuary

Today, as I drove home from work, I realized something.

I wasn’t thinking about sales.

I wasn’t thinking about my trainers.

I wasn’t thinking about my numbers.

I was thinking about fear.

Not the fear of working hard.

I’ve never been afraid of hard work.

Not the fear of responsibility.

I’ve carried responsibility most of my career.

I realized I was afraid to ask for help.

That thought stopped me.

When did I become afraid to ask a question?

When did I become afraid that asking for guidance would make someone think I’m not capable?

Leadership should never create fear.

Leadership should create growth.

It should be a place where people can ask questions without feeling embarrassed.

A place where people are corrected with wisdom, not humiliation.

A place where people are challenged while still being reminded that they are valuable.

I’ve been blessed throughout my career to work under leaders who invested in me.

Leaders who sat beside me.

Leaders who asked me how I was doing before asking me about my numbers.

Leaders who didn’t have all the answers but were willing to help me find them.

Those leaders shaped me.

And now, this season is shaping me too.

Not because everything is going well.

But because it is teaching me what kind of leader I never want to become.

I don’t want people to fear me.

I want people to trust me.

I want them to know that they can ask me questions.

That making a mistake doesn’t make them a failure.

That every challenge is another opportunity to grow.

As I continued driving, another realization came to my heart.

When I finally get home…

Peppermint doesn’t care about my KPIs.

My cats don’t care about payroll.

They don’t ask me how many consultations I completed.

They don’t ask me if I reached my sales goal.

They simply ask one question in their own little way.

“You’re home?”

And somehow, that simple greeting reminds me of something I often forget.

Home is more than a place.

Home is where I can finally stop carrying the weight of the day.

It’s where I can take off the title of director.

It’s where I can stop trying to prove myself.

It’s where I can simply be Maria.

A daughter of God.

A woman still learning.

Still growing.

Still trusting.

Still believing that God hasn’t forgotten her.

Lately, life has felt heavy.

Bills.

Rent.

Work.

Dreams that seem to move slower than I hoped.

Books that aren’t selling the way I imagined.

Songs that haven’t reached as many hearts as I prayed they would.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing enough.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m enough.

Then I remember something that God gently whispers to my heart.

My identity has never been in my position.

It has never been in my paycheck.

It has never been in my accomplishments.

My identity has always been found in being His daughter.

People may misunderstand me.

People may criticize me.

People may fail to see my heart.

But God never does.

He sees every prayer I’ve prayed while driving home.

He hears every tear I’ve held back.

He knows every burden I’ve carried without saying a word.

And somehow…

That is enough to keep me going.

So tonight, I’ll leave work where it belongs.

At work.

I’ll hug my dog.

I’ll listen to my cats remind me that dinner is long overdue.

I’ll thank God for another day.

And I’ll rest.

Not because all my problems are solved.

But because I know the One who stays awake while I sleep.

Tomorrow will bring new responsibilities.

New conversations.

New challenges.

But tonight…

I’m home.

And for this moment…

That is enough.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

— Matthew 11:28

— Maria Castaneda©️

Faith 2B Strong OnPurpose™