Work & Rest: Tensions of Leadership
Genesis 2:3
“And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when He rested from all His work of creation.”
Exodus 20:8-10
“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.”
Isaiah 40:29-31
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Hebrews 4:9-11
“So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest.”
The American work culture celebrates workers that stay late, work hard and always exceed expectations. With the promotion of celebrating workaholics, rest is a very unknown situation for most of us. The idea of rest and Sabbath are concepts that we have chosen to ignore, even though it’s an issue that God himself mandated. I don’t think that God needed to rest after creating the world. Being made is His image, I believe that He rested to model for us what rest looks like and that we need it.
This tension of work and rest if not wrestled with is part of the problem that kills marriages, kills passion and eventually burns out the individual. So how do we balance it? I grew up with a strong work ethic. For those that know my family, work is not a foreign concept for us. I have a very low tolerance for lazy people or people unwilling to work and sacrifice for what they want and dream. It’s with the culture growing up that I observed what burnout was and how dangerous it can become if left unchecked.
I know that working and pushing hard at my job is a given for me, but I’ve really had to learn what rest is for me. I’ve had to take time after a season of pushing really hard (weekly, monthly and yearly) and plan for times of recovery. The older that I’m getting, the more intentional I have to be with my recovery time. Rest for me looks different as season’s come and go. I look for things that fill my tank, give me passion and life back. I love devoted time with my wife, uninterrupted by work. I love getting outside, taking a hike or going to golf. Those things bring me joy, and don’t help the company grow or vision increase. If I don’t do those things personally, I know that the company will suffer in vision and growth because I’m no longer at the top of my game; I become useless to the team.
My best advice I could give you as you try to balance work and rest is to not feel guilty for taking times and seasons for rest and rejuvenation. You will be your best and bring your best self to continue for the long haul because of it. I cannot think of anything more valuable to your success than to take time and rest.
Do you ever have a workweek where you know you’re going to get out early or get to come in late? Ever notice how you magically can all the things done that you normally would get done in a full workweek? It’s because of focus. If we approach our work with that focus consistently, looking forward to our planned moments of rest, we can still be great workers, produce great results, but for the long haul because of our built in rest moments.
“We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don’t allow our bodies to heal, and we don’t allow our minds and hearts to heal.” - Thich Nhat Hanh
“Work is a blessing. God has so arranged the world that work is necessary, and He gives us hands and strength to do it. The enjoyment of leisure would be nothing if we had only leisure. It is the joy of work well done that enables us to enjoy rest, just as it is the experiences of hunger and thirst that make food and drink such pleasures.” - Elisabeth Elliot
“Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, and your spirit. Then get back to work.” - Ralph Marston
“Rest time is not waste time. It is economy to gather fresh strength… It is wisdom to take occasional furlough. In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less.” - Charles Spurgeon
“Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest.” - Ashleigh Brilliant
“Like a path through the forest, Sabbath creates a marker for ourselves so, if we are lost, we can find our way back to our center.” - Wayne Muller
“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” - Socrates
“He who cannot rest, cannot work; he who cannot let go, cannot hold on; he who cannot find footing, cannot go forward.” - Harry Emerson Fosdick
“The rhythm of work and rest seems to help us function more purposefully and energetically, living in the responsive obedience to the pattern God designed for us.” - Lynne Baab
Questions to Ponder:
What does rest look like for you?
What side do you tend to lean on as far as work and rest?
Have you seen anyone burnout or lose passion? Was working too much a part of it and how did it play out?