Rest: Your Secret Weapon

Have you ever worn exhaustion like a badge of honor? That's the dangerous trap we're challenging in this powerful conversation about why rest is actually a weapon, not a weakness.

As Mental Health Awareness Month begins, we're flipping the script on hustle culture. Society glorifies being busy, but when was the last time you genuinely rested without guilt? Not just sleep, but true restoration that clears your mind and renews your spirit. We've somehow twisted rest into a synonym for laziness, but nothing could be further from the truth.

This raw, unedited conversation delivers three practical ways to reclaim rest: honoring your natural rhythm (you're human, not a machine), setting sacred boundaries (an open schedule doesn't mean your energy is available), and inviting spiritual presence into your stillness. For the over-functioners constantly worried everything will fall apart if they step away – this message is your wake-up call. You don't have to carry what was never meant to be yours.

Remember that even God rested after creation. If the architect of the universe needed a break, why are you trying to power through without one? Your body will eventually force you to rest if you don't choose it willingly. The pause isn't falling behind – it's allowing wisdom to go before you, creating space to hear the whispers that get drowned out by constant activity. 

Ask yourself today: Where can I slow down so I don't shut down? Where can I trust and take a nap? Where can I give myself what I freely give others? The pause isn't the end of your story – it's exactly what your purpose needs to thrive. Share this message with someone running on empty and join our community as we navigate this journey together.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, so let's go ahead and jump straight into
this week's episode.
You all, I'm excited because wehave entered into a new month
and this particular topic fallsright in alignment with the
month that we are in Hold.
On, let me first stop and justsay thank you.
Let me say thank you forjoining in on this episode today

(00:26):
and listening and sharing yourtime with me, because I do not
take it for granted that youshare your most precious gift
with me, which is your time.
So again, thank you.
All right, so, now that I havegiven you all my thanks for
joining this week's episode,again, what I was saying is that

(00:48):
we have entered into May, whichis Mental Health Awareness
Month, and so this week's topicis right in alignment with that.
We are discussing why rest is aweapon, not a weakness.
So again, here we are in mentalhealth awareness and so many

(01:14):
people talk about rest.
But are you really resting?
Are you okay with resting?
Are you okay with being able tosay no to some things that you
may have said yes to in certainseasons?
Last month, we dove into somethings that we were unlearning

(01:35):
to relearn, and I need us tounlearn this dangerous lie that
rest is a weapon, that pausingmeans you're falling behind,
that exhaustion is the badge ofthe strong.
Now we put in all of that down.
So, just like the other thingsthat we unlearned last month, I

(01:59):
need you to add those to yourlist, because no more are we
saying that rest is a weakness,no more are we saying that
pausing means that we're fallingbehind, no more is exhaustion
going to be the badge that wewear and we think that it's okay
because it's not.
So let me ask you somethingreal when was the last time you

(02:25):
rested without guilt?
No, I'm not just talking aboutsleep, but truly resting.
See, the world glorifies busyHustle, is praised and somewhere
I don't know where along theway, rest became synonymous with
laziness.
But I want to flip the table onthat for you right now.

(02:47):
Rest is a weapon.
See, rest is what clears yourmind, softens your spirit and
restores your strength.
So how can we call that aweakness?
I would deem it wisdom.
I would deem it wisdom.

(03:09):
So, when we pause, we're notfalling behind, because we're
allowing God to go before us.
Now, for those of you all whothis is not your first time
listening to this show, I willinterchangeably say us, we,
because I believe that we areall traveling on this journey
together and none of us havearrived, so our we is.

(03:31):
When I'm saying raise your handnine times out of 10, I'm
raising my hand too, becausethere isn't anything that I have
shared on this show, on thispodcast, that I have not
personally lived through, gonethrough and where I'm sharing
with you, or what I'm sharingwith you is my personal account

(03:53):
on what has worked, on thosethings that I have worked with
clients and is working with themtoo, or working for them too,
or working for them too.
You'll also, while I'm here,notice that I do not go back and
edit, and I do not do thatbecause none of us can go back

(04:22):
and edit life.
So what you get from this showis going to be realness.
What you get from this show isgoing to be raw.
What you get from this show isgoing to be truth and
authenticity.
See, I'm not going back to editthat, because you need to hear
that none of us are perfect.
So back to the regularlyscheduled program.

(04:42):
As we are talking about rest,see, I remember a season where I
kept going, showing up foreveryone, pushing past
exhaustion, telling myself justone more thing but has your body
ever put you in time out whereyou had to learn that enough was

(05:03):
enough and it was going to makeyou rest, even when you felt
like you could keep going?
See, sometimes we get to thisspace where our body is just
like enough is enough, and soyou can either choose rest or
rest will choose you, and thatpause was and is the moment,

(05:25):
sometimes, that we meetourselves.
Maybe this episode is thatmoment for you, maybe this is
exactly what you need.
So, while you're listening tome, stop scrolling on your phone
, stop doing all of the otherthings and I know sometimes we

(05:55):
have to multitask but let'sbegin to recognize that
sometimes we don't need to dothat either.
Sometimes we just need to bepresent in our moments.
And so I want to just sharesome tips with you on how to use
rest as a weapon.
I'm just going to give you threeways where you can start
reclaiming your rest.
The first one is going to behonor your rhythm.

(06:15):
You're not a computer, you'renot the smartphone.
You're not a computer.
You're not the smartphone,you're not a machine.
So you're going to have to tuneinto your body's need and stop
apologizing for being human.
The second thing is set sacredboundaries.
Just because your schedule isopen doesn't mean your energy is

(06:39):
available.
I will say that again Justbecause your schedule is open
doesn't mean your energy isavailable.
Rest needs space, rest needsspace.
The third thing is invite Godinto your stillness.

(07:01):
See, the pause is where claritylives.
Sometimes you don't need a newplan.
You need to sit still enough tohear the one who is already
whispering to you.
Have you ever had someonewhisper something to you but
because you're too busy movingaround, you don't hear all of

(07:23):
the things that's being said toyou.
God's voice is a whisper andsometimes, when you need to hear
, it is because you need to sitstill.
So, again, what I've talkedabout before is that sometimes
we live in this culture whereit's busy, busy, busy, hustle,
hustle, hustle, but no one istalking about the rest that is

(07:47):
necessary and needed.
And for those of you all whobelieve in the Bible, god rested
.
He did all of these amazingthings for six days and then he
said you know what?
I need to take a rest.
So why do you think, as one whois created in God's image, that

(08:14):
you don't need to rest?
God created the universe,created all of this stuff around
and he still found time to rest.
God created the universe,created all of this stuff around
, and he still found time torest.
So I need you to lean into notjust the rest in this season,
but the fact that you need tosit still enough to hear the

(08:38):
directions that you need to movein the way that you need to go,
what you may need to let go of,what you may need to pick up,
what may be for another season,but you're trying to cram
everything into one.
Sometimes you just have to sitstill enough and then we have to

(09:00):
let people play their rolewhile we rest.
For those of you all who may beparents and have spouses, you
still need rest, and so thechildren will be the children.
The husband or the wife will dowhat they do, but you will have
to rest.

(09:21):
See, this is one for those whoare over functioners, the ones
who don't rest because theythink everything will fall apart
if they stop.
And I promise you that if youstop, the things will keep going
, that people will begin tofigure it out, because you can't

(09:45):
be the best version of yourselfif you're burnt out.
You can only give but so much,and so at some point you're
trying to pour from an empty cupand you can't.
You try to squeeze the last bitout so that you can pour out
just a little more.
But what will happen if youtake just a few moments to

(10:08):
yourself to rest?
How much better you will showup in the lives of the people
that you love.
How much you will be great atyour job and in your business
and all of the things that youlove't.
Do that when you are mentallyexhausted.
So hear me, let them play theirrole.

(10:32):
You don't have to carry whatGod assigned to someone else.
You're not letting go ofcontrol, you're letting go of
your over functioning and thatright there, my dear, is part of
your healing too.
So, as we wrap up this episode,I need you to check in with your

(10:56):
heart this week.
I need you to ask yourselfwhere can I slow down so I don't
shut down?
Where can I trust God and takea nap?
Where can I give myself what Iso freely give to everyone else?

(11:17):
And I'm going to say this restis not selfish, is sacred, and
it's your permission slip tobreathe again.
So if any of this spoke to you,I'm hoping that it did.
Don't keep it to yourself.
Share it with someone who'sbeen running on empty and let's

(11:40):
keep the conversation going.
Tag me in your post, let meknow what you're getting from
this, let me know what you needmore of, and I'll be posting
more rest reminders this week,so just join me over at the
hearts, hello, and remember thepause isn't the end of your

(12:01):
story.
It's the rest your purposeneeds.
So until next time, keepshowing up with your heart, keep
showing up as you.