The Gift of Rest: Sabbath in a Driven Culture

God didn’t suggest rest—He commanded it. And He modeled it Himself after creation. The Sabbath isn’t optional self-care for when you’re feeling stressed; it’s a weekly declaration of faith that God runs the universe and your work doesn’t depend entirely on you. In a culture that glorifies busyness and measures worth by productivity, choosing rest is a radical act of trust that God is enough.

The Kingdom Truth

Rest isn’t earned by productivity—it’s a gift that declares God’s sufficiency and your dependence, making it essential for sustainable Kingdom impact. This principle transforms how we approach our work rhythms because it breaks the addiction to achievement and the false belief that everything depends on our constant effort. In God’s economy, those who rest strategically accomplish more than those who grind endlessly, because rest acknowledges that God is the true source of fruitfulness. Sabbath isn’t lazy—it’s liberation from the tyranny of self-reliance.

Devotional

December had become Andrea’s nightmare season. As CFO of a rapidly growing tech company, year-end meant closing the books, finalizing budgets, preparing board reports, and managing investor expectations—all while the rest of the world seemed to slow down for holidays. For the past five years, Andrea had worked straight through December, sacrificing family time, personal health, and any semblance of rest. Her justification was always the same: “This is the most critical month of the year. I can rest in January.” But January always brought new challenges, and the promised rest never came. Andrea had become a functional workaholic, measuring her worth by her productivity and convincing herself that her company couldn’t survive without her constant attention. The wake-up call came during her annual physical when her doctor flagged concerning stress indicators and asked a pointed question: “Andrea, what are you running from?” She bristled at the suggestion—she wasn’t running from anything; she was running toward success. But the doctor pushed back: “In my experience, people who can’t stop working are often afraid of what they’ll discover if they do.” That night, Andrea couldn’t shake the question. She opened her Bible—something she’d been too busy to do regularly—and landed on Exodus 20. The Sabbath command hit her differently than ever before. God didn’t say “Rest when everything’s done.” He said “Rest.” Period. Even in the busiest season. Even when it seems impossible. Andrea made a decision that felt terrifying: she would take two full days off during December, including not checking email. Her team panicked. Her CEO questioned her timing. But Andrea held firm: “If the company can’t function without me for two days, then I’ve failed as a leader. And if I can’t trust God for two days, then I don’t really believe what I claim to believe.” The first Sabbath was excruciating. Andrea’s phone sat on the counter, notifications piling up. Her mind raced with work scenarios. But she forced herself to be present with her family, to read, to pray, to simply be still. By the second Sabbath, something shifted. The urgent crises she’d imagined never materialized. Her team handled issues competently. The world kept spinning without her constant intervention. But the most significant discovery came internally. In the stillness, Andrea realized her worth had become entangled with her work. She’d been measuring her value by her productivity, which meant she could never rest because rest would mean she was worthless. The Sabbath was revealing an identity crisis she’d been too busy to notice. Over the next months, Andrea made Sabbath a non-negotiable practice. She stopped working Saturdays entirely. She established boundaries around email and after-hours work. And something remarkable happened: her productivity increased. Well-rested Andrea made better decisions than exhausted Andrea. Her team became more empowered because she stopped micromanaging. Her relationships deepened because she was finally present. But more importantly, Andrea rediscovered that her worth came from being God’s child, not from being a productive CFO. Rest became her weekly declaration: “God is enough. His grace is sufficient. My work matters, but it doesn’t define me.” This Advent season, as we prepare to celebrate God entering human exhaustion to offer us rest, the question confronts every driven marketplace leader: Are you trusting God enough to stop?

Reflection

For Your Heart:

• Have you made productivity your identity, making rest feel like weakness or worthlessness?

For Your Work:

• What would it reveal about your faith if you took a full Sabbath this week—no work, no email, just rest and trust?

For Your Legacy:

• Will you be remembered as someone who accomplished much but sacrificed everything, or someone who built sustainably because they understood rest?

This Week's Challenge

Take one full day of Sabbath rest this week before Christmas chaos intensifies. No work email, no business calls, no “just checking in.” Practice declaring through rest that God is sufficient and your worth isn’t measured by your productivity. Notice what this reveals about your relationship with work and with God.

Let's close in prayer.

Heavenly Father,

Forgive me for believing the lie that everything depends on my constant effort. Teach me to rest as an act of faith, trusting that You are sufficient and my worth comes from being Your child, not from my productivity. This Christmas season, help me embrace the gift of rest and discover the freedom that comes from knowing You are enough.

In Jesus' name, Amen.