I recently read an excellent LinkedIn post by Dr. Timo Sandritter, the president of Ingentis. In his post, he said that he planned to take a few days off to spend with his wife and kids. Here is what he went on to say:
I lasted about twelve hours before my body shut me down with a fever, headache, and full collapse. I had finally, deliberately stopped to refuel, and that was the exact moment my body chose to fall apart.
There is a name for this that Ad Vingerhoets at Tilburg University coined "leisure sickness," after documenting that a subset of high-strain professionals reliably get sick the moment they take their first real break. Additionally, Marc Schoen at UCLA calls the broader pattern the "let-down effect." Same mechanism: run hot for months without an off-ramp, then crash the instant the pressure drops. Sustained stress keeps cortisol high and masks how depleted you are. The moment you exhale, the system stands down, and everything you were holding at bay finds its window. Boom.
Sandritter makes a great point. Periodic rest and recovery are mandatory for our healthy and productive existence. We need to schedule recovery time.
Does the Bible have anything to say about rest and recovery? You bet!
God rested after creating the world, giving us an example to follow:
Exodus 20:11 NIV For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Rest is so important that God made it a part of the Ten Commandments:
Exodus 20:8-10 NIV "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. (9) Six days you shall labor and do all your work, (10) but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work…
[Application: In other words, one day each week should be for rest and recovery.]
Pastor Mark Pettus pointed out recently in a Sunday message that “we are tired because we are so busy and we don’t know how to rest.”
What did he say is the solution? “Make Jesus our source of rest.”
Matthew 11:28–29 (NIV) [Jesus said,] “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
In the days of Jesus and His disciples, the Jewish rabbis would use the word “yoke” to describe their teachings. So, Jesus is telling His disciples that they are to come to Him, and learn from Him by taking His yoke (His teachings) upon them. And we are to do the same thing! What happens when we do that? We discover that Jesus is “gentle and humble in heart.” What is the natural consequence of this discovery? We “find rest for our souls.”
Jesus gave His disciples some practical advice for building into their lives a rhythm or pattern -- great effort, followed by rest and recovery.
Mark 6:7, 13, 30-31 NASB And [Jesus] *summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; (13) And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them. (30) The apostles [then] *gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. (31) And He *said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while." (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)
In terms of practical ways to apply this principle of rest and recovery, I would suggest the following:
· Create and maintain a personal calendar. Use it to schedule both project time and recovery time.
· Be sure to build in margin – some time that is unscheduled. This time can be used for projects that take longer than you anticipated, for unforeseen events, etc. By intentionally scheduling margin, you can ensure that you will still have time for rest and recovery.
· In your life, create a rhythm of effort, followed by rest and recovery:
o Daily – A daily time with the Lord, quietly spent in His presence, reading His Word and talking with Him in prayer, is the best way to “make Jesus our source of rest,” and to develop trust in His “gentle and humble” heart.
o Weekly – Set aside one day each week for recovery (which is honoring the Sabbath). You don’t have to be legalistic about it. For example, some people’s work schedule requires them to have their Sabbath on a weekday. And what is restful for one person might not be for another person. Ask the Lord what would be honoring to Him, and helpful to you.
o Quarterly – Spend time with the Lord each quarter, reflecting upon the previous 90 days. What did I learn? What worked well? What needs improving? How can I do a better job of ensuring recovery and rest?
o Yearly – Spend time with the Lord reflecting upon the previous year, and planning for the coming year. Ask yourself the quarterly questions above.
The most important of these recovery rhythms? Daily time with the Lord!
Today, I encourage you to "Reflect on This."