Rest.

A few of you have been extremely rejuvenated in the last few months. For the rest of us, even being out of our regular routine and dealing with many things being cancelled, we’re still walking out of this last season exhausted. Fewer things took exponential energy as we coped with large amounts of change. From the virus, then to the heartbreak of our current unrest, most of us are not at our peak.In the midst of all of this, it feels like everywhere I turn, the Lord has been hitting me with the same theme: Rest. Sabbath. Silence. Solitude. Boundaries. So, I want to share with you something in the world of rest that has been put into a format that really seems to bring a reinforcing value to taking care of our souls.

For full credit, what I’m sharing with you has been part of my training with GiANT Worldwide. (They’re a phenomenal resource for understanding yourself, people, and teams that you lead. Check them out and if you ever want me to train your team, let me know… but I digress.)The concept is that we all have gears. Imagine a stick-shift car, assuming you’re old enough to remember those! In this analogy, these are our gears:

1st Gear – Recharge Mode2nd Gear – Connect Mode3rd Gear – Social Mode4th Gear – Task Mode5th Gear – Focus ModeR – I’m sorry

At some point in the future, I can explain each of the gears. But the bottom line is that to be a healthy person in healthy relationships, we have to be in the right gear at the right time.For example, I’m known for multi-tasking… but Annika was recently on a long drive with me and required me to stop all my productivity and mental gymnastics. Why? She wanted some 2nd gear (connect mode) time with mom while I was oblivious in my 4th gear (task mode).The same thing happens in the workplace. If you’re the leader who’s always in 4th gear (task mode) and 5th gear (focus mode), you can come across as uncaring. You need to value 3rd gear (social mode) and connect with people relationally in order to have value as a leader.Ever had a coffee with someone and walked away disappointed? If you’re someone who wants meaningful conversation, you were showing up in 2nd gear (connect mode)… but if your coffee date loves being a social butterfly while avoiding deeper topics, they likely came in 3rd gear (social mode). You get the point.What does this have to do with rest? (Sounds like more work so far, right?)Steve Cockram, one of the co-founders of GiANT, recently pointed out that 1st gear (recharge mode) is the foundation of health for every other gear. If you don’t spend time in 1st gear and take care of yourself and spend time doing the things that rejuvenate you, you’ll always struggle to be able to show up in the other gears.Of course, knowing this information is not the same as deciding to do something about it! All of us know we need to “refuel, recharge, and refocus.” So, if taking care of yourself doesn’t come easily to you, I challenge you to come up with 3 ways in which you can do something to take care of yourself. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Listen to worship music.Go for a walk.Have a priority time.Play a round of golf.Lay in a hammock.Paint.

What are the things that bring you life and feed your soul? Choose 3 things by the end of the day and then schedule them into your calendar. You’ll never regret allowing your soul to rest and refocusing your heart on the Lord.