From a fellow traveler and former workaholic who’s learning to breathe again — can we talk about something that doesn’t usually come up at the coffee shop or at the Monday morning meeting?

Rest.

Or more honestly, the lack of it.

I get it. You’re a busy person. You’ve got a lot on your plate, your building your career, raising your kids, taxiing between practices and recitals, serving your church, and you’re working hard to keep all the plates spinning. OR, you’re older and with more free time comes more opportunities to go and do.

When my father retired, I remember him saying, “I’m busier now than when I was working!”

I thought to myself, “How is that even possible?!”

But, listen . . . nature hates a vacuum, and something will rush in to fill that empty void. You tell yourself that rest will come later—once the kids are older, once the promotion comes through, when the house is finally paid off.

Or maybe you’ve bought into the lie so many of us have swallowed: “I’ll rest when I’m dead.” Have you heard this? Have YOU said it?! Can I gently challenge that?

The Lack of Rest Comes at a Cost

What’s happening — what’s really at stake — is more than just your energy level. When we neglect rest, it’s not just our bodies that break down. It’s our minds, our relationships, even our connection with God. Let’s look at it together.

Wayne Muller, in his deeply moving book Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives, opens with this confession:

“Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the compass points that would show us where to go. We miss the quiet that would give us wisdom.”

When we never slow down, we start operating on autopilot — sprinting through life without asking whether the path we’re on is even leading where we want to go. He’s right . . . we lose our way!

Let’s talk science for a minute. The World Health Organization reported that anxiety and depression cost the global economy over $1 trillion a year in lost productivity. That’s not just a workplace problem — it’s a soul problem. And check this out: In 2022, 46% of U.S. health workers said they felt burned out often or very often — up from just 32% in 2018.

Even productivity studies back this up. Researchers found that regular breaks, even short ones, drastically improve performance and mental clarity. MIT even found that employees who took 30-minute daily naps for 3 weeks were 2.3% more productive and made better long-term decisions, including financial ones.

Rest isn’t weakness — it’s a competitive advantage.

So, still think you’re the exception? Have you noticed how snappy you get when you’re running on empty? I know I do. Remember the Snickers commercial with Betty White, Danny Devito, and others? The tagline said, “You're not you when you’re hungry.”

Or, when you’re hangry, or tired and worn-out. I mean, just ask your spouse, kids, and other family members. How hard is it to be present with your kids or spouse or roommate when your mind is stuck in an endless loop of tasks and to do’s?

Wayne Muller says:

“Without rest, we respond from a survival mode, where everything we meet assumes a terrifying prominence.”

When we don’t rest, the people around us stop feeling celebrated and they start feeling like obstacles. And that’s not the kind of parent, spouse, friend, or neighbor we want to be, or God knows we can be.  

In Sabbath as Resistance, Walter Brueggemann writes:

“That divine rest on the seventh day of creation has made clear that God is not a workaholic. Humans are invited to share in God’s rest.”

God isn’t in a hurry. He doesn’t grind. He doesn’t burn out. And when we insist on nonstop work, we’re essentially saying, I don’t need the rhythm God built into creation. I’ve got a better plan.

But it’s not working, is it?

Alan Fadling, in An Unhurried Life, puts it this way: 

“I feel hurried when I let my identity and value get sucked into the speed and noise of the world around me.”

If our identity is tied to our performance, then of course we’ll feel like we can’t stop. The gospel, however, frees us from that. It reminds us that you are already deeply loved, before you do anything, before you prove anything.

Go back and remember the words of God the Father spoken to Jesus at his baptism. Jesus hadn’t done anything yet and God spoke words of grace and affirmation over his life. God is still doing that today, are we listening?!

Practical Next Steps Towards Rest

OK, so what can you do? Let’s get practical.

You don’t need to quit your job or send the kids to grandma’s house for a month (though wouldn’t THAT be AWESOME . . . unless you’re the grandparents. But I digress).

You. Must. Start. Small.

• Unplug. Pick one day a week to unplug from work. Even half a day is a great start.
• Set boundaries. Close the laptop. Say no to one more meeting. Let your “yes” be to your soul.
• Reclaim your morning. Start the day with silence, just sit and drink your coffee without your phone, say short prayers, take a walk — something that doesn’t involve a screen.
• Sabbath with others. Practice what a friend of mine calls, “The Long Table.” They share a long slow meal together. You could do this with your family, another couple, your friends, but the point is to BE with people. Laugh. Talk, hang out, and oh, did I mention leave your phone in the car and let this experience simply . . .  breathe.

 

Friend, you were not made for burnout.

You were made for delight. For peace. For communion with God. Sabbath isn’t waiting for your retirement. It’s waiting for your surrender. Let today be the day you start learning to rest.

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