REST Was Never Optional | Better Leaders Prioritize Rest

Rest Was Never Optional: A Leadership Reality We Can’t Ignore

There’s a mindset leaders have carried for far too long—and one I see consistently in the leaders and organizations we serve:

Rest was optional.

Not urgent. Not necessary. Something to get to when the season slowed down or the pressure eased.

It holds leaders back for years—until they hit a wall.

And what we’ve learned walking alongside pastors, executives, founders, and leadership teams is this:

Most leaders aren’t running from God.They’re just running. Period.

We’re running to meet expectations.Running to carry responsibility.Running to steward vision, people, and outcomes.

And in the process, we often confuse constant activity with faithfulness.

Rest Was Built Into Creation—and Commanded for Our Good

From the very beginning, God established a rhythm.

Before leadership was complicated.Before burnout had a name.Before productivity became an identity—

God rested.

Not because He was tired, but because He was modeling something essential. Creation itself was formed around six days of work and one day of rest. And then God commanded His people to do the same:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8)

Sabbath was never about legalism. It was about alignment.

Modern research actually reinforces this design. Studies in occupational health consistently show that leaders who maintain regular cycles of work and recovery have higher cognitive performance, better emotional regulation, and greater long-term effectiveness. In other words, God’s design works—because He designed us.

Jesus Modeled Rest as Leadership Strength

Jesus didn’t treat rest as optional either.

He stepped away from crowds.He withdrew to quiet places.He paused—even when the needs were real and urgent.

And He invited others into that same rhythm:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

What’s fascinating is that neuroscience now confirms what Jesus lived. Rest—especially intentional rest—helps regulate the nervous system, improve decision-making, and reduce reactivity. Leaders who don’t rest lead from a constant stress response, which limits empathy, creativity, and discernment.

Jesus understood this long before research caught up.

When Leaders Skip Rest, Leadership Suffers

Here’s what we see consistently:

When leaders neglect rest, they don’t actually gain more capacity—they slowly lose it.

Research from Harvard and Stanford shows that chronic overwork decreases productivity and increases errors, even though leaders often feel like they’re “getting more done.” Fatigue narrows perspective. It makes leaders more reactive, more rigid, and less relational.

Eventually, your body, your soul, and your relationships demand what your schedule has been denying.

At Aaron Hur Group, we often say:

Burnout isn’t a failure of commitment. It’s a failure of rhythm.

Rest Makes You a Better Leader—Not a Less Committed One

Leaders who practice intentional rest consistently demonstrate:

• Higher emotional intelligence

• Greater self-awareness

• Stronger relational trust

• More sustainable influence

Psychological studies show that rest improves executive function—the very skills leaders rely on most: judgment, focus, problem-solving, and clarity under pressure.

Rest doesn’t weaken leadership.It sharpens it.

Rest Looks Different for Different Leaders

One of the most important conversations we have with leaders is this:

Rest is personal, not prescriptive.

Research on recovery shows that rest is most effective when it matches how a person restores energy. For some leaders, that’s solitude. For others, it’s movement, creativity, or time in nature. For many, it’s uninterrupted time with God—without an agenda.

The goal isn’t copying someone else’s rhythm.The goal is discovering how God uniquely restores you.

Ask yourself:

• When do I feel most present?

• What activities replenish me instead of drain me?

• Where do I experience clarity and connection with God?

Creating Rhythms of Rest in Life and Leadership

Rest doesn’t happen by accident—especially for leaders. It must be designed.

Here are a few practical starting points:

1. Treat rest as a leadership disciplineResearch shows recovery must be regular to be effective. Rest isn’t a response to exhaustion—it’s a preventative practice.

2. Build margin into your calendarLeaders with margin make better decisions. Margin allows space between stimulus and response—and that space is where wisdom lives.

3. Honor Sabbath as trust, not obligationSabbath is a weekly reminder that God is in control and you are not. Leaders who practice Sabbath report greater peace, clarity, and resilience.

4. Model rest for those you leadOrganizational research shows leaders set the emotional tone of their teams. When you rest, you give others permission to do the same.

A Final Word for Leaders

Leadership does not begin with hustle.It begins with surrender.

Rest is not weakness—it’s wisdom.And it’s not something God added later to help us cope with leadership.

It was there from the beginning.