The Gift of Rest: Finding Moments of Peace Amidst the Chaos

Discover the secret to achieving peace amidst the Christmas chaos with the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Ever wondered how you can keep your sanity during the busiest time of the year? Tune in as I, Todd Rhoades, explore the often-neglected gift of rest. Inspired by Jesus' example of intentionally seeking solitude, we’re putting a spotlight on why those little moments to pause are more crucial than you might think. Far from being a luxury, rest is an essential part of maintaining clarity and peace. 

Join me as we uncover practical strategies to integrate brief but powerful moments of rest into your hectic holiday schedule. From taking a short walk to enjoying a quiet moment of prayer, learn how to make these pauses a regular part of your day. We’re not talking about lengthy vacations, but rather, intentional snippets of time that help you regain focus and recharge. We encourage you to treat rest as a vital gift to yourself, even if it’s just a few minutes here and there. So, take a breath, slow down, and give yourself the permission to find peace in the midst of it all. Join us again tomorrow for more valuable insights on sustaining a healthy ministry life.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:08

All right, we talked about it a little bit yesterday, but we're continuing on and this is such an important topic I want to take two days to talk about it. And it's talking about getting enough rest and keeping yourself healthy during these busy times. Hi there, friends, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. My name is Todd Rhodes, I'm your host, also one of the co-founders of chemistrystaffingcom, and today we're continuing our series on navigating this Christmas ministry marathon. Today we're talking continuing to talk about something that we all need but we overlook during this busy time, and it's the gift of rest. And I know that this time of year is packed with activity, but I want to remind you how important it is to find those little moments of rest. And I get it. I get it, todd, I don't have time right now to rest, and rest probably feels like a luxury that you can't afford right now, with all the planning and the events and the services. You might be thinking you know I'll rest after Christmas A popular country song that says I'll sleep when I'm dead. But here's the reality. Here's the thing If you wait until the end of the season to take a break, you're going to miss out on the peace and the clarity that can help you get through it. Okay, and for this, to illustrate this, we don't have to go any farther than Jesus as an example.

Speaker 1: 1:26

Throughout the gospels we see him finding time to withdraw even when the demands on his time were high. We talked about one of those passages yesterday. Another one is in Luke 5, 16. Jesus Luke says Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Notice he just didn't do this once. The scripture says he did it often. Rest wasn't just a rare event for Jesus. It was a regular part of how he managed the demands of his ministry and man, jesus's ministry man. It was chaotic, it was hectic. If he needed rest, so do we.

Speaker 1: 2:05

The truth is, rest isn't just sleep. It's not just about sleep. It's about giving your mind a break. It's about giving your spirit a chance to breathe and rest and to catch up with you. It might be stepping out for a quick walk, it could be finding a quiet corner to pray, or maybe just sitting for a moment.

Speaker 1: 2:25

We're not talking about taking three weeks off during this next three-week chaotic period. We're talking about taking a few minutes here and there and taking some little pauses that can help you recharge. That can help you get your perspective and help you just to be able to breathe when you feel overwhelmed and just too busy. Those little pauses can recharge you in ways you might not even expect. So here's the bottom line for today Make rest a priority Now. It doesn't just mean sleep, but it does mean sleep. Make sure you're getting your sleep, but it means just taking a few minutes at a time.

Speaker 1: 3:02

Look at your schedule I mentioned before. If it's not on my calendar, it doesn't get done. So maybe look at your schedule and plot in a couple times each day just to take maybe 15 minutes, small windows where you can pause and breathe and regroup. Doesn't have to be a long time, but it does need to be intentional. So maybe, before you start your day, take five minutes to sit quietly and pray or reflect Something you're grateful for.

Speaker 1: 3:27

Maybe take some time after lunch or before you leave the office for the day to tackle the stresses at home. Either way, it's a great time to just take moments of rest. Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today. Hopefully this is maybe this podcast is part of your rest regimen. I don't know, but I know the days are busy, but rest is a gift, so it's something that you can give yourself, but you have to take the time to do it. Even if it's just for a few minutes here and there, take those moments to breathe and just to take some time and know that it's okay to slow down even when everything around you is absolutely speeding up. All right, I hope that's been helpful for you today. I hope you'll join us again tomorrow here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Have a great day.