Living and Leading at a Sustainable Pace – 1
The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. Mark 6:30-32 NLT
Many leaders are chosen to lead because they have a history of getting things done. Goals, deliverables, outcomes are all a part of a leader’s vocabulary and part of their leadership psyche. But I wonder how many Kingdom leaders would have ‘rest’ as a part of their leadership vocabulary?
Now let’s be clear – we are not suggesting that leaders should model or accommodate laziness or lack of anything less than your best. But, in striving to give our best we can move to a striving to prove our worth to God and others or finding our self-worth in our accomplishments. Reproduction and fruitfulness should be a part of a Kingdom leaders’ worldview, but not for our personal value or ego. We seek impact for the glory of God, not our own glory.
Busyness is not bad in and of itself. Leaders are busy people. But in our busy lives are we living and leading at a pace that is sustainable for the long term? We are not drawing a false dichotomy between ‘rusting out for Jesus’ or ‘flaming out for Jesus.’ Neither of these seems God-honoring. What seems to be a biblical pattern is a regular day for rest (Sabbath) and a period of time away for the leadership demands after intense times of ministry (see Mark 6 above). The demands of the work will still be there when you return from your time away. You’ll be better able to serve those you lead after getting some rest.
As a younger leader I was given some great advice that has served me well for many decades. “A mark of maturity is being able to live with unfinished tasks.” The To-Do List is never-ending for leaders. Put in a good days work and lay down at night knowing you have done your best for this day. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34 ESV
Developing Kingdom Leaders - Tom Yeakley 