Resting When You Are Wired for Work
We worry because we don’t understand our purpose.
Some of these posts may be familiar if you’re a long-time subscriber. Late last year, I migrated all of the EntreWorship articles to Substack, which makes writing and nurturing our community more streamlined.
I often wonder if it’s worth writing and publishing this journal. When I’m ready to quit, a colleague or friend will share how these posts encourage them. I’ll keep rewriting and publishing them just for you.
“It’s hard to rest when you’re wired for work.”
Are you always restless, always striving, always planning, always moving? To what end?
Being busy makes us feel important, but be aware: “Busyness is not from the devil, it is the devil,” claimed Carl Gustav Jung. Busyness kills the silence for which our souls long.
Does the noise created by the activity in your life threaten to drown out your voice when you cry out to God,
“Listen to my cry for help, O God.
Pay attention to my prayer.
From the ends of the earth, I call to you when I begin to lose heart.
Lead me to the rock that is high above me.”Psalm 61:1-2 GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
We cannot rest when our activity leads to worry.
When you think you can create more results and more significant impact by being busy, God’s plan may be for you to wait and rest so he can align your life with His purpose.
Rest allows you to see where God is working and meet him there.
As a leader, the temptation is to get down to business as soon as you wake up. Slowing down to make time for relationships (With God and with others) creates opportunities to speak truth into your colleagues’ lives and to love those around you.
People like us — entrepreneurs, change makers, leaders — are impatient. We want to be in control. We worry because we don’t understand our purpose.
Being busy is not the problem. Worry is not the problem. Our pride is the problem, where we think we can create more impact than God can.
Despite all the indications, you do not control your business or purpose.
“Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.” The Apostle Paul reminds us in the Bible, Ephesians 3, that God’s power accomplishes infinitely more than we ask or think.
Think of it this way: Why do birds fly? What did the Creator make flowers?
The lilies do not worry; they blossom and bring beauty into the world because God enjoys beauty. The birds do not worry; they fly and defy gravity because God wanted to create creatures that inspire us and lift our eyes to heaven.
The flowers and the birds glorify God by doing what they were created to do.
What did the Creator create you to do? What is your purpose?
Why do you worry?
Worry will weigh you down; anxiety will bind your feet. Worry will wake you up when you are resting and try to smother you with her pillow.
During a stress-filled time in business, my wife reminded me: “We’re entering a very busy time with travel and our son’s wedding. Don’t worry, and enjoy this time of rest. God is aligning things in the future even if you don’t see activity now.”
Ask God what he wants you to do today, then wait for it. Rest is a gift, not a sign of weakness.