Excellence and Rest: Handling the Tension

One of the most challenging aspects of following Jesus is learning to live within tension. Not every question has an ‘either-or’ answer. In fact, many of the deepest expressions of Christian faith require us to hold together truths that, at first glance, seem to pull in opposite directions.

We can welcome the moving of the Holy Spirit while valuing order. We can disagree politically and remain united in Christ . We can honour the past without becoming trapped by it, and embrace the future without neglecting our roots. We can worship with celebration and freedom while maintaining reverence and awe. We can grow large as a church while remaining authentic. And yes we can pursue excellence while also embracing rest.

That’s one of the reasons I often smile when I read clickbait headlines declaring, “Pastors have traded presence for programs,” or “The church values growth more than discipleship.” My response is always, “Why does it have to be either-or?” Healthy churches can value programs and God’s presence. They can pursue growth and make disciples. Every time I read these sweeping statements, I find myself thinking, “Said no pastor ever.”

The Christian life is rarely about choosing one truth while rejecting another. More often, it’s about holding both faithfully. Wisdom grows when we resist simplistic thinking and embrace the fullness of what Scripture teaches.

What Does The Bible Say?

Perhaps nowhere is this tension more evident than in our understanding of work and rest.

I hear a great deal about rest these days. As a Boomer, something inside me still reacts to that word. Whether that’s good or bad is another discussion altogether. Many of us were raised to believe that you work and you work hard. Sayings like, “Don’t call in, crawl in,” weren’t just expressions; they reflected an entire mindset. It was almost a badge of honour to finish the year without taking a sick day.

Looking back, however, I see things differently.

I still believe Scripture calls us to work wholeheartedly. We should pursue excellence and give our very best to the glory of God. But there is no badge of honour in working ourselves into ill health, neglecting our families, or refusing the gift of renewal that God Himself designed for us.

Somewhere along the way, many of us confused faithfulness with constant activity.

So what does the Bible actually say?

Interestingly, it refuses to let us settle into either extreme.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 tells us, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” It is a call to wholehearted effort, diligent stewardship, and pursuing our God-given assignments with excellence. Yet Psalm 127:2 reminds us, “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat for he grants sleep to those he loves.”

This passage points us toward dependence, trust, and rest.

For those in ministry and other demanding callings/professions, these verses can create a real struggle. How do we work with all our might while also embracing the rest God commands and provides? How do we pursue excellence without falling into exhaustion, and how do we rest without becoming complacent?

The answer isn’t found in choosing one verse over the other. It’s found in learning to live faithfully in the tension between them.

When “Just Slow Down” Doesn’t Work

In pastoral ministry, I have observed that many leaders carry a deep sense of responsibility for what God has entrusted to them. They are visionaries, builders, problem-solvers, and leaders. They genuinely enjoy working hard. The church consumes their thoughts, because they value their sacred calling and people matter.

Because of this, being told to “just slow down” or “just rest” can feel frustrating. Productive engagement is often part of how they steward their calling. They are not necessarily striving for significance through achievement. Rather, they feel most alive when they are using their gifts fully and faithfully stewarding the opportunities God has placed before them.

Unfortunately, conversations about rest can sometimes imply that ambition and excellence are unhealthy. Scripture never presents excellence as a problem. Throughout the Bible, God repeatedly uses men and women who pursued their calling with remarkable diligence. Joseph administered an entire nation through crisis. Nehemiah led an ambitious rebuilding project under huge opposition. The Apostle Paul traveled relentlessly, planted churches, discipled leaders, and wrote 1/3 of the New Testament.

These individuals weren’t passive. They worked diligently because they understood that their calling mattered and God wired them specifically for their calling.

Excellence Is Not Performative Unless Your Motives are Selfish

One of the mistakes we sometimes make in church culture is assuming that highly motivated people are driven primarily by ego or recognition. While that can certainly happen, it’s not always the case. Some would call excellence performative but that overlooks or assumes the motive behind it. The motive could be love, passion, wanting to serve others, not to just get a result for a bar graph.

A pastor who spends hours preparing a sermon, a worship leader who carefully plans a service, a ministry leader who develops effective systems, or a business person who seeks excellence in their profession may simply be trying to honour God with what has been entrusted to them. It’s one of the ways they love their people well.

Colossians 3:23 instructs believers, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” Excellence becomes an expression of gratitude and stewardship. It is not about proving our worth; it is about offering our best to God.

The same principle applies beyond ministry. Healthcare workers, educators, entrepreneurs, executives, tradespeople, first responders, and countless others often carry significant responsibilities. Many pursue excellence not because they crave applause but because they view their work as sacred. They understand that God has given them gifts, opportunities, and influence, and they want to steward those things faithfully.

Why Rest Is So Difficult

Even when people understand the importance of rest, implementing it can be incredibly difficult.

Those who carry leadership burdens see needs everywhere. They know what remains unfinished. They recognize opportunities that others may overlook. They care about the people they serve. As a result, stepping away can feel irresponsible.

Many ministry leaders know the theology of grace but struggle to apply it personally. They believe God is sovereign, yet they quietly carry their responsibilities as though everything depends on them. The church needs them. The ministry needs them. The people need them.

Eventually, that burden becomes unsustainable.

This is where Psalm 127 speaks so powerfully. The psalm reminds us that God never intended His servants to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. Rest isn’t laziness. Rest is a declaration that God remains at work even when we are not. Rest is holy.

When we sleep, God is still building His Church. When we take a Sabbath, God is still caring for His people. When we step away for a season of renewal, God is still accomplishing His purposes.

Rest is practical and spiritual.

Rest Enables Us to Minister Well

One reason rest is so important is that ministry is fundamentally about serving people. They consume your heart, your thoughts and your prayers.

When leaders consistently operate from a place of exhaustion, something begins to diminish. Patience becomes harder to maintain. Compassion becomes more difficult to extend. Discernment becomes clouded. Joy gradually fades.

We can’t continually pour out what we are not receiving.

Jesus Himself modeled this reality. Despite the overwhelming demands placed upon Him, He regularly withdrew to pray and spend time with the Father. If Jesus incorporated rhythms of withdrawal and renewal into His earthly ministry, then we need them as well.

Rest allows us to lead from overflow rather than depletion. It replenishes our emotional, spiritual, and physical reserves. It protects longevity and helps ensure that our ministry remains sustainable for years rather than merely months.

For high-capacity individuals, rest may never feel natural. It may require intentional scheduling and deliberate boundaries. But what feels unnatural is very necessary.

Living Faithfully in Both Truths

The goal of the Christian life is not choosing between Ecclesiastes 9:10 and Psalm 127:2. Both passages reveal something essential about God’s heart.

Ecclesiastes calls us to wholehearted stewardship. Psalm 127 calls us to make sure we rest.

One reminds us to work diligently with the gifts God has given us. The other reminds us that the outcomes ultimately belong to Him.

Healthy leaders learn to embrace both realities. They pursue excellence without making an idol of achievement. They rest without abandoning responsibility. They work hard because they love God, and they rest because they realize they are in partnership with Him.

In the end, excellence and rest are not enemies. They are companions. One honours God through faithful effort. The other honours God through humble dependence.

When we learn to walk in both, we become leaders who not only accomplish much for the Kingdom but remain healthy enough to serve it faithfully for the long haul.

Practical Tips to Incorporate Refueling in your Life.

1. Prayer and the Word are essentials in your life. Drink in its life giving words and sit in His life giving presence.
2. Take a day off and guard it like a junk yard dog. This includes declining dinner and lunch invitations on that day (even when people say “It’s not work, it’s just a bbq” as leaders we know it’s never just a BBQ).
3. Try not to respond to emails or take non emergency phone calls. Nothing is more important than you refuelling.
4. Do something refreshing on your day off. Go for a walk, bike ride, drive to a nearby town, eat at your favourite restaurant or cafe. Go to a movie, read, relax, play board games. Do whatever you LOVE to do.
5. Take an intentional holiday. Don’t bank your holidays – all you are doing is banking stress. There is no “good” time to go. Choose a time to get away and enjoy yourself!
6. Plan quarterly getaways. This is dependent on available funds, but even a night out of your city will give you a boost and a mental break.
7. Find hobbies outside of your work and do them. Join an exercise class, paint, write, make music.
8. Be accountable to someone who sees you cheating on your established rest patterns. Believe me you WILL be very tempted to throw away those plans.