We’ve all heard the phrase: “Tie your camel and trust in God.” It’s often shared as a reminder to take responsibility; do your part, and leave the rest to faith. Simple, grounding, and powerful. But s

“Tie your camel” was never meant to be a measuring stick for other people’s lives. Yet in today’s world; especially in a culture obsessed with productivity, hustle and constant motion, it has become just that. A phrase once rooted in balance is now sometimes used to question whether someone is doing enough.

I’ve felt this personally. There were moments in my journey when my discernment, my inner knowing, called me to be still.

Not lazy.

Not passive.

Just still.

Reflecting.

Healing.

Aligning.

And yet, from the outside, that stillness was misunderstood. People were quick to suggest I needed to “do more,” as if movement is always the same as progress.

But here’s the truth we often overlook: stillness is not the absence of effort. Sometimes, it is the effort.

We live in a time where hustle is glorified. Working endlessly, building constantly, pushing without pause, that’s what gets labelled as discipline or ambition. But becoming the best version of yourself in silence? Taking time to realign? Choosing peace over pressure? That rarely gets the same respect.

And yet, that too is tying your camel.

Because everyone’s “camel” is different.

For some, it looks like showing up to a 9–5 every day.

For others, it’s taking the risk to start a business.

For someone else, it’s making the painful decision to walk away from a marriage.

For another, it’s choosing hope when everything feels uncertain.

And for many, it’s managing multiple responsibilities, multiple “camels”, at once.

And what happens when you’ve tied them all?

You surrender.

Not out of defeat, but out of trust. Out of knowing you’ve done what you can, within your capacity, with sincerity. And sometimes, after that, the next step isn’t action, it’s waiting. Listening.

Being ready for the moment you feel called to move again.

Sometimes tying your camel is as simple as making one phone call. Sometimes it’s taking a leap. Sometimes it’s doing nothing at all, until clarity comes.

And that’s okay.

What’s not okay is turning a personal principle into a public judgment.

We need to stop defining effort for other people.

We need to stop assuming that what looks like “not enough” from the outside isn’t everything someone has within them at that moment.

We don’t know their capacity.

We don’t know their internal battles. We don’t know their calling.

So instead of critiquing how someone else ties their camel, let’s choose something better.

Let’s choose kindness.

Let’s choose understanding.

Let’s choose to trust that their journey is between them and God.

Because at the end of the day, if a person feels at peace, if they know they’ve done what they can, then that is enough.

Leave them and their camels alone.