Hurry is not God’s best for leaders. Many are leading under the influence of their stressed-out and overwhelmed lives. We struggle and strive in ministry to see God’s call on our lives fulfilled and to reach more people with His message of hope. All the while, we are daily withering under the pressure of family demands, careers, and ministry obligations. There will always be pressure in leadership, but it should never be the place you lead from. 

Our society has cultivated a mindset of resting after completing the work. The problem is the work never gets done. There will always be more to do on your to-do list. There will always be more work needing your attention. If you only rest when the work is done, you will never feel you have permission to rest.  

This is not God’s plan for rest. It is the opposite of your divine design. In Genesis, God created man on the sixth day and on the seventh day God rested. Man’s first full day began as a day of rest. Rest was the foundation, not the reward. Rest was the place from which all work would start. God’s rhythm of living for our lives is one of leading from a place of rest. It begins in communion with Him and from that time we leave empowered to do the work we are called to do. 

If you are a leader who seeks to help others through your gifts and talents, it’s critical you learn how to rest well. Not merely to take a nap or to break away for a vacation, but a deep abiding rest where you can lay it all down when you feel God drawing you near. It’s the ability to step away from ministry duties for a time, while you focus not on the calling but the One who called you.

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Award-winning Christian author, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, is a board-certified physician and popular media guest who shares biblical truths to help heal the body, mind, and spirit. She transparently shares how her past pain has been redeemed through the practical application of God's word. Learn more at www.IChooseMyBestLife.com and invite Saundra to speak at your next event HERE.