Recognizing and Renouncing the Religion of Shame

When was the last time you felt truly rested? I don’t mean just a quick nap or a weekend off, but deep, soul-refreshing rest? You may feel like a weary wanderer, trudging through a chaotic, concrete jungle, each step heavy with exhaustion as you attempt the ascension of the corporate ladder. Or maybe you have a feeling of dark clouds of depletion and fatigue looming overhead, the relentless rain of responsibilities drenching you in weariness, with every breath a battle for a brief respite. In our fast-paced, always-connected world, true rest has become as rare as a quiet moment in Times Square! But what if I told you that constantly toeing the line of burnout isn't what God designed and that it's actually possible to achieve more by doing less? I remember a time when I was running on fumes. I was that man who felt a constant cloud of pressure, worry, and never-ending tasks following me every day. I learned quite a bit about rest during that time, unfortunately, it was at the expense of a three-year mental breakdown, Kathy and I having to uproot our family and move to the mountains of Northern California. It quickly became evident I was in need of a deep-seated rest. The Bible speaks to this need for rest. In fact, God Himself set the example by resting on the seventh day after creation. It wasn’t just the Father though, Jesus modeled rest, by escaping to the mountains multiple times after longer periods of ministry. What I am getting at is, God takes rest very seriously! So much so that He even instructed the Israelites in Leviticus 25:1-7 to farm the land for six years, but in the seventh year, the land was meant to have a Sabbath rest. Did you catch that? Even the land needs rest! The need for rest is something that God constructed in the corners of creation. A lifestyle of true rest is something that many people desire but few actually achieve. The truth is that God has designed us to need rest, it’s not a sign of weakness or vulnerability, but rather has been etched into the fabric of your makeup. Here are 3 things that I’ve realized about rest and some tips you can implement in your life to avoid burnout and experience the benefits of the God-given rest that He has created for us to live in! 1. Rest isn’t a natural response in today’s culture. Have you ever run into someone that you haven’t seen in a while? Maybe it was at the grocery store, or at the local park during your kid's Little League game. You strike up a conversation and one of the first questions that someone asks is “ How have you been? ” Often the response goes something like this, “ Oh I’ve been really busy! ” or “ You know, just working a lot. ” Sometimes people will ask the question outright, “ Are you keeping busy? ” I’d like to point out that in American culture it has become normal to be constantly working and neglect the need for rest! Rest is a kingdom concept that God introduced. Interestingly, it's a principle that many people are eager to ignore Let me be clear: I’m not saying we shouldn’t work hard. As Christians, we should be the hardest working people out there because we are working for the Lord, not just for our boss or company. But if you want to implement a consistent and fulfilling cycle of rest in your life, then you have to be okay with going against the grain of culture and embracing the idea of rest when many people don’t! 2. Rest won’t happen by accident. This is one of the most common misconceptions when it comes to rest… Many people believe that once they “catch up” on their work or “get ahead” of their responsibilities then they will have time to rest. The truth is there will always be another task, meeting, or responsibility lurking around the corner waiting to be done. To make matters worse, in today’s culture, we have access to work at our fingertips through smartphones and laptops. In some ways, it’s a great blessing, it allows people the freedom to work from home, and increases productivity for many businesses. However; it comes at a great cost. We aren’t able to “go home” from work. One practical thing you can do is look at your calendar and create an event called “REST.” Block it out and say no to conflicting calendar invitations and create the time to rest because it won’t happen by accident. 3. Proper rest requires proper boundaries. If you don’t manage your life, others will. If you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will. One of the biggest causes of a congested schedule is overcommitting your yes. The truth is if you want to set boundaries that allow you to rest, you're going to have to say no to opportunities and people. This can be especially hard for recovering people pleasers, but if you value your “no” as much as you value your “yes”, then you will be able to create margin to do things that are truly life-giving, and minimize the things that drain you. Let me leave you with three practical steps that you can take right now to help create more rest among a busy schedule! Embrace the idea of rest even when the culture around you doesn't! Make an event, and schedule “rest” in your calendar. Practice your no to something this week and create margin in your calendar for rest. Oftentimes people will fall into the cycle of working, burning out, and then taking a long vacation in an attempt to fix a foundational issue. I’d like to propose that the solution to consistent burnout is a cycle of regular rest. Some of us are trying to do with vacation what God wants us to do as a lifestyle! I encourage you to ask yourself: Am I resisting rest or embracing it? Have I allowed rest to become a consistent rhythm in my life, or have I relinquished control of my life to my calendar?