5R – REST

Let’s drill down deeper on the first of the 5Rs… REST.

I’ll never forget the words of the ER Doctor at St. Louis Barnes Hospital. I had a combination kidney stone, ulcer and panic attack episode during what was supposed to be a family day trip to watch the St. Louis Cardinals play baseball. It didn’t go as planned.

Here were His words of warning, “You are an otherwise healthy young man. However, this is all stress related. I don’t know what you do for a living, but you either learn to love doing it, quit, or die a very young man.” 

I said nothing. The last thing I wanted to do was tell him I was a pastor preaching and teaching about the Good News of Jesus! No, not of some mega, multi-site network. It was a small church in a rural community.

Wow. Did I have a lesson to learn when it came to things like rest, pace, balance and more? More than 20 years of life and leadership later, I still do.

Rest is more than a good night’s sleep, although that comes highly recommended.

Rest is part of walking with Jesus, of staying in step with His Spirit.

Rest is about daily pauses to breathe. It is a consistent pattern of refreshing soul, mind and body. It is about taking a break from the norm to recenter yourself in Christ and get back to a sustainable pace for you.

Rest is also about pace-setting as a team. Whatever your level of leadership, those you influence are subject to the pace you set.

What pace are you setting?

Are you leading like a shepherd or herding like a cattle-driver? Maybe you need to take a day off and think about it?

Want to learn more about the power of rest? Check out Soul Keeping by John Ortberg and Sacred Pace by Terry Looper. Both of these works will take you on a journey of discovery you will be glad you took.

Let me know if I can help learn more about the connection between rest and healthy living and leadership! Email me at peakpastors@gmail.com.

I look forward to hearing from you.