Imagine this dialogue: 

“How are you doing?” 

“Ok, under the circumstances.” 

“Well, that’s the problem—you’re under the circumstances! Rise above them, and you’ll do much better.”

As leaders, or would-be leaders, at any level of authority, we need to keep rising.  I’m not just talking about position, I’m talking about everything our position should reflect!

Whoever we lead—within an organization, company, or family—can only rise to the level we ourselves have reached.  This applies to the whole group, as well as individually.  So we have to keep rising.

The question is how?  Try harder?  Run faster?  Keep going ‘round and ‘round like the proverbial hamster on a wheel that gets nowhere fast?  For those who’ve done any of these, how has it worked for you?

My guess is that it hasn’t—at least not too well.  Or, if it did work, it only worked for a short while, before the stress, overwhelm, and exhaustion of all the striving got to you and you caved. 

Let me suggest a better way—one that’s counter-intuitive, but actually works if implemented properly—REST.

Now I can picture you saying, “REST?!– What, are you crazy?! No one ever got anywhere or accomplished anything laying around doing nothing!” 

Agreed. But resting doesn’t equal just laying around doing nothing, although some of that is necessary too.  Science does prove we need sleep to rejuvenate and restore our minds and bodies.

But true and complete rest involves so much more.  It involves a mind at rest, a heart at peace, a body without tension, while we’re awake. And yes, even while we’re concentrating, working, exercising, creating, etc.  Plus, we’ll certainly sleep better and awake more refreshed if we attain this whole rest.

In his book, “Adrenaline and Stress”, Dr. Archibald Hart points out that stress triggers the brain to release adrenaline to deal with whatever the source of that stress is—the “fight or flight syndrome” we’ve heard of.  Granted, some of this is necessary, especially in truly dangerous situations.

The problem comes, though, when we allow this heightened state of alert to persist, due to everything becoming a “crisis” in our minds.  Then the adrenaline we need in our brain for thinking, problem-solving, creativity, learning, etc. is depleted because it’s all been deployed elsewhere.  It’s like having no “troops” left on “home base”.

This leaves us vulnerable to spiritual, emotional, even spiritual “attack” (illness).  Plus, we can’t grow, develop, i.e., rise, without enough energy or mental/emotional resources left to put into it.

I was reminded of this when I was making bread the other day.  Here’s what I noticed:  Bread-dough rises while it’s RESTING, not while it’s agitating or being agitated!

That’s why Is. 30:15 tells us,

“…In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”

TRUST is key here—When we trust that “God’s got this”, it puts our minds at rest, so the adrenaline can stay there where it’s necessary to strengthen us for whatever we need to accomplish.

So, as with bread, if we truly wish to RISE in—

~character

~maturity

~skill

~impact

~influence

~reputation

~position

–we can’t do so by getting stressed out, worked up, all wound up– in other words, agitated.

Yes, we need to take action, to learn, to initiate. But getting agitated, as stated above, only drains us, and causes us to “cave”, not rise!

So what does it mean to truly rest?

1. “Cease striving and know that I am God.” Ps. 46:10 In the midst of doing whatever He leads us to do, realize that HE is in control, and will make things work out the way they need to.  That takes the load off our minds and shoulders, so we can relax WHILE working!

2.  Partner with Jesus—the One Who’s invited us to…

 “’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.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’”  Mat. 11:28-30

Who’d want to pass up that deal– Exchanging our weariness and burdens for His strength and help?!

Just rest in the Lord and put it all into His hands while doing so, and let His Holy Spirit work to make you RISE FROM THE INSIDE OUT!

A soul at rest helps a person rise to their best!