Modern society tells us that slowing down and taking breaks is bad.
Keep pushing.
Work through lunch. Put in more hours than everyone else. Never take vacation. Keep the kids busy with sports and activities. Always be doing something.
That way of thinking has crept into the church, too.
Volunteer for everything. Be at every event. Take on one more responsibility. Prove your worth. Outwork everyone else.
But what happens when that isn’t what you are called to?
What happens when the pace you’re keeping isn’t the pace God has given you?
We Weren’t Called to Exhaustion
God has placed rest into His plan from the beginning.
The infinite God of the universe rested on the seventh day. Not because He was tired, but because He was showing us something about the rhythm of His creation.
God even built rest for the land into His instructions to Israel.
Rest isn’t an interruption to the work.
It is part of the rhythm.
Yet we can work until we can no longer remember why we began.
Church burnout is real. Volunteers can become known for always being available. Pastors can take on responsibilities that were never meant to belong to one person. Churches can quietly develop a culture where being busy is mistaken for being faithful.
But humans were not created to continuously go and do.
We were created to rest.
To step aside.
To let others carry part of the burden.
To allow others to serve.
The shepherd sets the pace.
We don’t have to.
The Selfishness of Being Humble
In many churches, the person who helps with everything can become the person everyone looks to.
And many of those people genuinely serve with humility. They aren’t looking for awards or recognition. They simply love their church and want to serve their Lord and Savior.
That heart is a beautiful thing.
But something can change over time.
The joy begins to fade.
The service becomes a chore.
Bitterness begins to settle in.
Not for everyone. Not at the same pace. But it can happen.
We begin to believe the place where we serve belongs to us.
It becomes what we serve.
Then it becomes why we serve.
We begin to believe that stepping aside will make us less spiritual. Or that no one else can do the job as well as we can.
Our humility quietly becomes selfishness.
We begin to think we are special.
Or necessary.
Or the only person who can do the job correctly.
And without realizing it, we stop making room for someone else to experience the joy of serving God’s church.
We thought we were serving.
Somewhere along the way, we started claiming.
What Can Be Done?
Allow others to speak into your life.
Speak into the lives of others.
And when serving becomes a chore, pay attention.
Sometimes the faithful thing is to step aside.
That doesn’t necessarily mean stopping.
It may mean serving less often. Letting someone else step in. Sharing what you know. Teaching someone new. Allowing them to learn.
Even allowing them to fail.
Use your experience to help them succeed, but don’t use your experience as a reason to keep control.
And when you step aside, don’t become bitter about the change.
Your role may simply be changing.
You may no longer be the person doing everything.
You may become the person helping someone else learn how to do it.
That is still service.
Moving Forward
God’s Kingdom and His Church are not stagnant.
They are alive.
They breathe and grow.
People change. Needs change. Responsibilities change. The way we serve can change, too.
One person cannot and is not meant to “run” a local church.
A pastor shouldn’t have to be all things to all people.
A volunteer shouldn’t be the sole possessor of knowledge.
No one should be expected to be at every event, every time.
There is room for everyone to serve if we are willing to step aside and allow others to serve beside us.
Sometimes that means letting go of control.
And then watching what God does with the space we leave behind.
Rest
God provides rest so we can continue to serve.
But perhaps rest is more than simply stopping long enough to get our energy back.
Accept the rest.
Sit without serving.
Worship without working.
Allow others to pour into you so that you can pour into others.
The shepherd sets the pace.
We don’t have to keep running ahead.
Where are you needing rest?
First…
Listen to the podcast:
Then…
Consider where God may be asking you to slow down and walk in trust at His pace.