Hello dear friends,
I hope you are well. It’s been a good week here, the sun is out, and it’s raining as well; I suppose we have a good balance.
I have been thinking about what it takes for us to be ok with rest. I attended the Association of Black Psychiatrists Conference last weekend, and there was a session on burnout and what it takes to get there and the position we should be taking to avoid it.
That talk took me back to a year ago, when my perfect storm of burnout was brewed… the combination of poor physical and emotional health and the misalignment of values.
There is a quiet pressure many people carry today: the feeling that being constantly busy equals being faithful, successful, or valuable. We celebrate exhaustion as proof of effort. We wear “I’m so tired” like a badge of honour.
We even say it without thinking, as an addendum to the prerequisite “how are you?” We often get it in social settings. Bidding for sympathy and emotional support from friends and family who also understand too well what we mean by that familiar phrase.
When you look closely at Scripture, a different picture emerges, one where intentional rest is not weakness, but wisdom, rhythm, and even obedience, and burnout may impress people. But it does not impress God. In the beginning, it was not so.
Rest was God’s Idea First
Rest is not a modern invention or a luxury for the privileged. It is woven into creation itself. Before there was sin, struggle, or stress, there was rest.
In Genesis 2:2, Scripture says God rested on the seventh day, not because He was tired, but because He was setting a pattern, showing us how to live like him, ensuring we understood that even within rest, we can be productive.
Rest is not what happens when you are done working.
Rest is part of how work is meant to function.
Consider music and how the notes flow. If a song had no pauses, no rests between notes, it would not be beautiful; it would be noise. The breath between a powerful speech is what makes it compelling, worth listening to, ensuring that the message hits the intended parts of the soul.
Rest is what gives life its rhythmic meaning. In the same way, life without rest becomes noise, a destructive process rather than one that builds, guards, and intentionally harmonizes.
Jesus Modelled Rest Without Guilt
One of the most striking truths in the Gospels is that Jesus was never in a hurry in the way we often are. He would abide, wait, consider things carefully, talk to the father, and observe before making moves.
Even though He had crowds to heal, teachings to give, and a mission to fulfil, He still withdrew to rest. After the big miracle of feeding thousands of people, he withdrew to rest and pray.
Jesus did not treat rest as a reward after exhaustion. He treated it as a necessary rhythm of communion with the Father.
Rest is not merely a physical thing; it is deeply spiritual and anchored in God, in resting we must connect to the source, just like recharging your phone is connected to the socket and draws electric current from the mains.
Burnout is not an honourable state of being
In today’s culture, burnout is often mistaken for dedication. The longer you stay busy, the more important you seem, the more stressed you look, the more valued you are in some spaces, the more hassled and disorganized you are with time, energy and relationships, the more people hustle to get closer to you.
When we burn out, we need to look closer at the bigger picture; we often find that, spiritually, burnout is often a sign of misalignment, not holiness.
A misalignment in the life we are living and the life we ought to live, one that draws wisdom, strength, and energy from a position of rest, communion with the source.
God is not honoured by depletion.
He is honoured by obedience, wisdom, and trust.
For instance, two people can do the same good work:
- One serves from a place of rest, clarity, and dependence on God.
- The other serves from anxiety, fear of failure, and constant exhaustion.
Both look busy. But only one is sustainable, and pleasing to the Father who created us all for a specific purpose, to do his will and do his work on earth. Many of us are doing our own work, misaligned.
God is not impressed by how much you can carry if it is destroying you in the process. He loves you so much that he wants you to be at optimal performance, not feeling dragged through life.
I often force myself to slow down my days or weeks when I feel myself feeling dragged, you know that feeling? I pause, and I slow down and start listening closely to Him, observing nature, observing my rhythms, listening to what is coming back at me….
I sometimes have dreams that are instructional or just have a knowing in my heart in which direction to go.
Slow it down. You can do it. The world will not end. Stop living in the fear of things falling apart because you changed. Fear in itself is anti-God; we normalize something so evil.
Rest Is an Act of Trust
At its core, rest is deeply spiritual because it says:
“I am not God, and the world will continue without me.”
It acknowledges that we are not indispensable, that we can be excluded, and that people can go on without our input. It is difficult for many people, especially those who feel responsible for everything. Firstborn children. Lol. Zukwanike!!
But Scripture gently reminds us:
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Stillness is not inactivity. It is surrender. It is a deep level of trust that you will be taken care of and provided for.
When you rest, you are declaring:
- My worth is not in my output today
- My security is not in my constant effort
- My life is sustained by God, not by anxiety
That is faith in action. This is the God kind of faith, the one that moves mountains, the one that stares fear in the face and raises its head fully confident that fear doesn’t control it.
What Healthy Rest Actually Looks Like
Rest is not just sleep or doing nothing. Biblically and practically, it is restoration; it is walking in the way that is completely whole and purposeful in God’s will. It is in alignment with obedience and communion, uniting with Him.
My friend and I saw an Instagram post about subtraction math that leads to peace, eliminating things that we do out of fear and only saying yes to things that bring joy and peace. It gave me hope for a world where we are all respectful of the natural flow of rest.
We do not penalize people for needing a break or taking time to respond to requests. A world that isn’t run by instant feedback. Let’s go back to writing letters, please. Lol.
Healthy rest includes:
- Physical rest (sleep, pause, recovery)
- Emotional rest (stepping away from draining environments, relationships)
- Mental rest (quieting constant overthinking, you may need professional help with this)
- Spiritual rest (returning to God without performance, strengthening spiritual discipline)
A person can be lying in bed and still not be resting if their mind is racing with worry. This will be familiar to my people who have been insomniacs at some point.
You can Support My Work
We cannot sleep because we are thinking about the day and planning for the future, revising every conversation we could have had, we had, and we will have in future. Bless us.
If this is you, pray. Pray faith-affirming prayers on repeat. YouTube has loads. True rest is not only external stillness, but it is also internal surrender.
A Better Way to Live
God does not call people into burnout. He calls people into alignment.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Notice what Jesus offers: not more strength to keep pushing endlessly, but rest for the soul.
That changes everything.
Final Thoughts on Rest
You do not need to prove your value through exhaustion. You do not need to live at the edge of depletion to be faithful. It is a dishonourable thing to do, especially if you are a Christian, as you are living the opposite of the will of God.
I do not say this to guilt-trip you, but to offer you a different way, in a world that tells you that you don’t have a choice but to burn out
I bring to you a more perfect way, the way of surrender to God. It will be scary, but it will bring you peace and joy. Rest is not laziness. It is good for your soul. It is trust. It is obedience. It is healing.
And maybe the most spiritual thing you can do right now is not to do more, but to finally rest.
Until next time — stay warm, stay growing, stay loving, stay whole.
With love and light,
Amaka.
