As Christian leaders, we have the opportunity—and the responsibility—to create environments where rest is natural, where disconnecting is not interpreted as disinterest, where people don’t have to earn their worth by working themselves to exhaustion.
Photo: [link]Clay Leconey[/link], Unsplash, CC0.
Resting, in the business world, is often frowned upon. But for Christian leaders, it can be one of the most profound ways to trust God.
In many business environments, leaders who disconnect are seen as uncommitted.
The entrepreneur who takes an afternoon off may be criticised for not ‘putting his heart into his business’. The freelancer who sets limits on his schedule seems not to be trying hard enough to grow his business. In the world we live in, fatigue seems normal, and exhaustion ends up being interpreted as ‘the price of success’.
[destacate] The desire to be excellent, not to disappoint, can easily degenerate into toxic self-demand, which robs us of peace, weakens our relationships and gradually dries up our spiritual life[/destacate]And many of us, committed Christians, have also embraced this culture without even realising it. The desire to be excellent, not to disappoint, to meet all expectations, can easily degenerate into toxic self-demand, which robs us of peace, weakens our relationships and gradually dries up our spiritual life.I have been accompanying a very committed, brilliant, dedicated Christian leader for some time now... although she is absolutely exhausted. A few days ago, she confessed to me in tears that she did not know how to stop, how to rest without feeling guilty. ‘If I don't do it, who will?’
This is not an isolated story. It is the story of many. Perhaps it is also yours.
I want to invite you to reflect on rest. Because far from being a luxury or an option, rest is a spiritual, emotional and business necessity. But not just any rest. Rather, the kind of rest that is linked to trust in God. The kind that comes when we decide to believe that not everything depends on us. The kind that reflects that our company, our project, our team, our future... are not ours, but His.
Resting, today more than ever, is an act of radical faith.
From the book of Genesis, rest does not appear as a sign of weakness, but as a divine act. After six days of work, God rested. And honestly, I don't think God gets tired, so He didn't do it because He was tired, but because He was setting a model, an example, a design for our lives.
“And on the seventh day God finished the work he had been doing, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had been doing” (Genesis 2:2)
[destacate]Rest reminds us who God is (the Provider, the Sustainer, the Almighty) and who we are (limited, loved, dependent creatures)[/destacate]That model did not remain only in creation. Later, when God gives the Law to his people, rest does not appear as a suggestion, but as one of the Ten Commandments:
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8)
It is not healthy advice, it is a commandment, that is, something ‘non-negotiable’.
And in Deuteronomy, that same commandment is expanded with a reminder:
“Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there...” (Deuteronomy 5:15)
Resting is remembering that we are no longer slaves. Not to a system, not to a client, not to a project. Our value does not depend on how much we produce. If we have our identity in Christ, we are free in Him, and therefore we are also free to stop and rest.
In the New Testament, Jesus speaks again of this principle when He says:
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27)
Rest, then, is a gift from God, designed for our good. It reminds us who He is (the Provider, the Sustainer, the Almighty) and who we are (limited, loved, dependent creatures).
Resting is not wasting time. It is trusting. It is stopping our striving to remember that He is still working.
In today’s highly competitive business world, rest is not only frowned upon, it is often poorly managed. And when we talk about rest in the context of faith, it is not just about stopping for a few hours a day, but about learning to live at a different pace. A pace that recognises that God is at the centre, not us.
Resting is not simply lying on the sofa or going on holiday once a year. It is a way of life. It is learning to set healthy boundaries. Knowing where my responsibility ends and where I need to trust God. It is, for example, turning off my mobile phone outside working hours without feeling that I am letting anyone down. It is leaving my emails unanswered until Monday without thinking that I will miss an opportunity. It is respecting weekends as sacred space, not as an extension of the week to finish what I didn’t get done during the week.
But rest is not just something I practise as a Christian leader; it is also something I cultivate around me.
[destacate] Because some kinds of fatigue cannot be cured by sleeping more, but by stopping to listen to His voice. Sometimes the body is strong but the soul is weak[/destacate]A company that serves the Kingdom of God cares for people, and that includes protecting their rest. We should not feel guilty about enjoying our holidays. As Christian leaders, we have the opportunity—and the responsibility—to create environments where rest is natural, where disconnecting is not interpreted as disinterest, where people don't have to earn their worth by working themselves to exhaustion.
It also means revisiting our relationship with God. Because some kinds of fatigue cannot be cured by sleeping more, but by stopping to listen to His voice. Sometimes the body is strong but the soul is weak. And that is not resolved with productivity, but with purpose. Therefore, true rest involves seeking time for prayer, silence, returning to the Word, reordering priorities, and asking ourselves why we are doing what we are doing.
A company that embraces this kind of rest is no less efficient. It is healthier, more humane and, above all, more consistent with what pleases God.
The truth is that many of us are still learning to rest. There are days when we trust, and others when we fall back into the trap of wanting to control everything. Sometimes we surrender to fatigue as if it were inevitable, and other times we discover with amazement that God is always in control, working in amazing ways, even when we stop.
[destacate]Even when we do not know what will happen when we decide to rest, God remains faithful[/destacate]Although it is not always easy, it is about walking in that direction. It is about allowing ourselves to be reminded again and again that we are children of God, not machines. And that even when we do not know what will happen when we decide to rest, God remains faithful.
The beautiful thing is that we don't have to do it alone. He Himself invites us:
‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28)
Perhaps the rest we seek so much does not begin when activity ceases, but when we draw near to Him.
José Manuel Castellón, business consultant, trainer and coach with over 30 years of professional experience. This article was first published by the August 2025 edition of Líderes Empresariales Cristianos (Christian Business Leaders) in Spain, and translated with permission.
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