Confession: I’m competitive. I know! Shocker!
I’m competitive with myself, with the weights, with life, with pretty much everything around me. So sometimes I skip rest days. Because who wants to take a break when there’s more to lift, more to do, more to “fix”?
But here’s the thing I’m learning in my years of experience (aka being old as my daughter would put it): skipping rest is not strength. It’s weakness dressed up in busyness.
Muscles grow when you recover, not when you grind nonstop. And muscles are a lot like other parts of our lives, including faith! Spiritual growth, emotional health, even leadership stamina all thrive in the spaces where we pause.
Rest isn’t optional. It’s resistance. It’s saying no to the things that aren’t going to move the needle.
It’s saying no to the lie that productivity equals value.
It’s telling the world (and yourself) that you trust God to keep working when you stop.
It’s bending the knee to a rhythm bigger than your to-do list.
Some of the best work I’ve ever done in the gym, in ministry, in life all started with a deliberate pause. A day off. A walk in the field. A quiet coffee without guilt. A slow evening with a one finger pour. The pause brings purpose to the process.
So take a breath. Step back. Turn off the blower, put the weights down, and let God do what only He can do. You’ll come back stronger. You’ll last longer. And you’ll probably be a lot less likely to look like a man riding a chicken.
Because rest is not laziness. Rest is resistance against burnout. And in a world that won’t stop demanding, that’s a radical act of faith.
Jesus often went alone to a lonely place. If He needed it, why do we think we don’t? I love my times of utter silence. Being by myself to read or think or pray.
Sabbath rest can be any day you choose. But rest is as important as busyness.