A pastor recently opened his sermon by sharing an update about his ongoing struggle with anxiety and panic attacks. He thanked the congregation for their prayers and the notes of encouragement, some of which suggested he consider taking some time off. He was appreciative but skeptical.

“Thank you. However,” he paused, his body language implying that rest is ridiculous, or at least a sign of weakness. The congregation chuckled. ​“I don’t know what else I would do… If I’m going to ask you to push through stuff, I’m gonna push through stuff.”

“Pushing through” is an assumed virtue of countless Christians, especially leaders. For these driven individuals, rest and resilience are opposites, sabbath and stamina mutually exclusive.

But eventually there are things one simply can’t push through, as anyone who’s slammed into the brick wall of human limitation will tell you. In reality, true rest leads to resilience. Sabbath produces stamina. 

The guests this week on the Renovaré Podcast—Alan Fadling, Kristi Gaultiere, Steve Macchia — are each leaders who understand the cost of hitting that wall. They have given their lives to helping leaders care for their souls and discover Christlike rhythms of work and rest. There is a lot of wisdom packed into this episode, and the gracious spirit each guest extends to one another makes it a pleasure to listen to.

The importance of soul care and sabbath are the same whether you consider yourself a leader or not. It’s just that when the leader’s soul is uncared for, the implications are much broader. ​“As the leader goes, so goes the organization,” says Steve Macchia, ​“but more importantly, as the soul of the leader goes, so goes the leader.”