If You Don't Slow Down, You Will Be Forced to Slow Down
“It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.” Psalm 127.2
Most urban pastors I know are exhausted.
I became a leader in the age of hustle culture. But before it had a cool name, remember what Nas said, “I’m never sleeping because sleep is the cousin of death.”
As a church planter, I believed that the mission, the church, the needs of others was all that mattered and that sleep was a luxury. I never had a set sleep pattern and never thought anything about it. You know what I mean?
But like Hov said, “It was all good just a week ago.” Everything was cool…until seven years ago. I had a rude awakening. Even though I was awake, it felt like a nightmare. I was laid up. I was being rushed to the hospital because my blood pressure was through the roof.
I spent five days in 2017 in the hospital. What do you do when the only way you know how to live and lead no longer works?
My kidneys were on the ropes. I had 35% kidney function. Doctors gave me two to three years, and I would need dialysis or a transplant. Instead of fighting my body, I decided to cooperate with it. So I switched it up, went to bed earlier, ate healthier, went on walks. After months of intentional action, I slowed the decline of my kidneys to a crawl. There was so much more to manage, but getting sleep and being active was a game changer.
Here’s the deal: you will be forced to slow down if you don't slow down.
You can play with God if you want to, but it will be to your own detriment. God has designed us for regular rhythms of rest and recovery. You can’t live like you’re unstoppable, and then you'll be surprised when you start breaking down.
From the beginning, God built in rest as part of our design, not as a flaw but as an essential feature. He desires that we would find rest in him and in life. God disagrees with the sleep is for suckers philosophy. He never sleeps or slumbers, but we need to.
Over the last seven years, I've learned that I’m a better leader, better husband and father, and, let’s keep it 💯, a better person if I embrace the way I’m designed rather than fight it like I did for decades. My spirit is gentler, my mind clearer, and my insight more helpful if I show up rested and ready.
I’m still not sure if I take a real Sabbath—where I fully disengage for 24 hours a week and truly rest in him. But I’m cooperating more with my body and spirit than ever before and resting more regularly. I’m beginning to delight in God more.
Are you tired heading into the week?
I have a question for you. Are you in tuned with how you are designed?
Your needs to know and be sensitive to your design. What you will realize is your body want to work with you to thrive.
Stop playing God. Don’t just take a break, live from a healthy rhythm. By God’s grace, the next season of your ministry might be built more on what He can do rather than built on you.
You’ll feel better in the process.
Is your back always against the wall? Unleash your leadership in the trenches without crashing out (or losing yourself).
Without a new strategy and approach, it's easy to continue to:
Sacrifice family on the altar of the mission
Overcommit and underdeliver
Have no time for what you actually want to do
Struggle to get time off to refuel and relax
Worst of all, other people—other tasks, jobs, and projects—will continue to hijack your life.
It’s time to change that by implementing strategies that work.
From Chaos to Clarity is a proven strategy to clear the mental clutter, reduce stress, and focus your efforts as an urban pastor on the ground. It's my step-by-step online course that will help you overcome overwhelm, address what’s working and what’s wrong, and be far more clear about where you are going as a visionary.
Experienced leaders have used the Chaos to Clarity strategy to escape hustle mode and finally do what they feel called to do—grow their churches, serve their communities, raise more money, and be more present at home.
Whatever you choose to do with it is up to you. Email me for more information.
