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One of the most challenging aspects of leadership is learning how to lead from a place of work and rest. Work brings team responsibilities, pressing deadlines and sometimes seems like the more effective way to accomplish goals and objectives. But rest is equally important in helping leaders stay focused on their vision and creating direction to accomplish their mission.
As Leaders, we are hard workers and we get things done with amazing capabilities. We are skilled at mobilizing teams of people and conquering tasks. We are constantly pouring ourselves out for others and depleting our energy, creativity and passion in the name of love.
For many of us, the idea of stopping to rest is a restricting thought. The restorative importance of rest unconsciously gets pushed aside. In the hustle to complete our next task, we rob ourselves of the joy in celebrating the moment. We often miss out on seeing how our smallest decisions are positively impacting the lives of the women we have been entrusted to love and serve.
Effective leaders lead from place of rest that gives peace, vision and renewed passion to their leadership. They are leaders who embrace rest as a priority and use its effectiveness as a method to thrive in all areas of life. Taking time to rest offers us these three things:
Rest recharges. Rest restores the natural rhythm of life. It allows us a break in life’s hurried pace and reenergizes us physically. In our rest, we should seek to reconnect our hearts and leadership to the everlasting, all-powerful source of Jesus. His Spirit will reenergize us with His strength and recharge us with peace and joy that will carry over in our leadership.
Rest refocuses. Rest helps us regain our perspective. Leadership can be difficult and comes with many aspects out of our control. Sometimes we find ourselves spending too much time thinking about the criticism, discouragement, and people’s opinions and feedback. Rest helps us put things into perspective. It gives us time to work through situations, check our feelings, form an action plan, and focus on the positive. Rest helps us to see how far we have come and recalibrates us to where we are going. It celebrates the smallest of victories. It renews our hope and vision.
Rest rekindles our passions. With fresh energy, renewed vision, rest reclaims the joy and enthusiasm depleted in our work. Rest gives space for the rekindling of our passions. It allows us to think about what we do, why we do and how much we love doing it. Rest cultivates new ideas and grows excitement for our ministry and those we serve.
Leadership requires a good balance of work and rest. When we have the correct balance of both, our leadership is both effective and enjoyable and we thrive as leader.