“And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. [32] So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.” Mark 6:31-32 NKJV
I work a lot because of the multiple projects that I juggle. But I hate the word “hustle” because it gives me a reason to keep working till exhaustion when what I want is rest.
Yes, I want to rest, as you do too. But somehow, we feel like we don’t have a choice because of the demands on our table. From bills to family responsibilities, client requests, and personal needs, it is overwhelming.
The anchor scripture is interesting to me because it doesn’t just talk about Jesus going to a solitary place to rest. We see that several times in scripture.
Here, Jesus, as the leader, encouraged his team to take a break. They didn’t realise they needed rest, just like you and I sometimes are ignorant of the facts. But their boss recognised it and suggested they all took a break. That’s compassion.
How can we recognise the need for rest in our team as we work?
In the past, I’ve led work cultures where rest only happens when a team member requests it. Because I didn’t love myself enough to intentionally rest, I couldn’t see that need for others.
Jesus had a lifestyle of rest. It was His rhythm of work, and He didn’t joke with it. He would always take short personal retreats to just stop, rest, and pray before hitting the ground running again.
Now, I know better. Even though I still struggle with taking breaks, I’m more careful and have more compassion for the teams I lead.
Before we can truly love others, loving God and then ourselves is the starting point. Otherwise, every attempt to show love to others will be an act of self-deception.
“I deliberately infuse rest into my life and those I lead.”
In what ways have you driven yourself to exhaustion in the past? What could you have done differently?
Our goal as believers is to be like Christ here on earth. That means emulating His entire lifestyle, including His rhythm, and not just part of it.
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