There’s no shame in stopping to rest.
There’s this thought swirling around the world that if you stop doing, if you stop growing, if you don’t push through overwhelming odds, if you don’t win the battle, you’re weak or you become irrelevant.
Not so.
We’re called to stop and refresh. Sometimes we’re forced to stop and heal.
My grandmother was diagnosed with cancer last week. Today, she is undergoing a bone marrow biopsy in the morning and begins chemotherapy this afternoon.
This is her third battle with cancer. Possibly the scariest. It’s the latest in a string of life-threatening ailments she’s battled through with tremendous (and often mind-boggling) success over the years.
Frankly, I’m amazed by the lady. She makes the most of every minute of every day. She rarely stops — except, of course, when these things happen. Then she throttles down, rests, and does what the doctors tell her to do. Then, slowly but surely, she steps on the gas and gets back to full speed.
That’s a good example.
Sometimes churches need to stop and rest. Maybe they need to heal.
Sometimes churches and church leaders go so fast and so hard with events, ministries, outreaches and church marketing, that they can’t imagine stopping, for fear that they’ll seem idle. For fear that the congregants will think they’re not “getting their money’s worth.”
God builds in time for rest. He calls us to stop, pray, and seek Him.
Be honest. Do you feel it’s time to take a break? It’s okay. Your heart doesn’t stop beating when you do. You don’t become irrelevant. You’re just letting God take care of you for a time so you can refresh, take in the beauty of the life and the work He’s provided, and get back to the business of sharing the love of Christ.
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
— Psalm 62:1