R.E.S.T. and Rise
A Sacred Contradiction for Leaders Carrying Too Much
By Nathan LaGrange
If Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership…
What Happens When Leaders Fall?
We’ve seen the headlines.
Pastors collapsing under pressure.
Executives burning out in silence.
Missionaries quietly unraveling in isolation.
Parents leading families while internally running on fumes.
And the ripple is never private.
When leaders break, organizations tremble. Families ache. Communities fracture. The fallout spreads far beyond the individual.
But maybe there’s another question worth asking:
What happens when you R.E.S.T. and rise?
The Hidden Tyranny of Performance
Most of us occupy positions of influence.
Church leaders. Nonprofit directors. Mission senders. Business owners. Parents. Coaches. Community builders.
We are equipped to equip others.
And somewhere along the way, our position starts becoming our identity.
It sits beneath our name on the business card.
Follows us onto the stage.
Shapes how we introduce ourselves.
Quietly whispers our worth.
Every position demands performance.
The KPI report at the board meeting.
Sermons that must be theologically accurate and engaging.
Attendance metrics.
Fundraising goals.
Churches planted.
Missionaries sent.
Baptisms counted.
The unspoken expectation is relentless:
Progress must always move up and to the right.
Impact.
Growth.
Visibility.
Momentum.
Success.
Always more.
The Pressure We Normalize
Position + obsession with performance + more progress = persistent pressure.
And persistent pressure changes people.
We numb ourselves to survive it.
Binge watching.
Overeating.
Overworking.
Overmedicating.
Constant scrolling.
Perpetual distraction.
Anything to quiet the anxiety beneath the surface.
Then we transfer that pressure onto the people we lead.
We demand more output.
More efficiency.
More sacrifice.
More hustle.
Without realizing it, the culture of hurry invades the very places God entrusted us to steward.
Our churches begin to mirror empires.
Our homes begin to feel transactional.
Our leadership starts bowing to the gods of More and Mammon.
And somewhere in the pursuit of gaining everything, we slowly lose our souls.
Pause for a moment.
Who told us this was normal?
The Sacred Contradiction of Jesus
What if the invitation of Jesus is graciously different?
What if His way is a sacred contradiction to the systems of pressure we’ve accepted as inevitable?
Scripture warns us:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
What if Jesus is not first calling you into a position but into personhood?
What if the Father calls you Son or Daughter before He ever calls you leader?
What if your deepest identity was never achieved through performance, but received through presence and marked by the Holy Spirit before you accomplished a single thing?
That changes everything.
A New KPI: Key Proximity Indicator
What if the most important metric in leadership is not performance but proximity?
When was the last time someone asked a leader:
“How is your prayer life?”
Not as legalism.
As life.
Because time spent in God’s presence slowly dismantles the performance-driven self.
You begin discovering there is delight simply in being with Him.
Slowing Down to Kingdom Speed
Slowly, our pace begins to change.
You realize you actually have more agency over your rhythm than you believed.
There will be seasons of busy..
But no longer lifetimes of hurry..
Slow becomes sacred.
Rest becomes rhythmic.
There’s a “with-ness” to your witness.
And the fruit begins showing up everywhere.
Your spouse notices you are emotionally present again.
Your children experience you as human.
Your friendships deepen.
And your team?
You may become the permission they’ve been waiting for.
Kings, Warriors, and Priests
Kings speed people up to conquer.
Warriors fight for the next battle.
But priests slow people down and ask:
“I wonder what God thinks about this?”
The question every leader must answer is simple:
How will you show up?
The Practice of R.E.S.T.
Rest is not passive.
It is deeply intentional.
Here’s a framework for leaders seeking “The R.E.S.T. You Need for the Life You Lead.”
Use it daily, weekly, annually, or during a sabbatical season.
R — Retreat from Responsibilities
Withdraw to remember who you are apart from what you do. Often.
Find spaces where your soul can breathe.
Ask yourself:
Where can I simply BE instead of constantly DO?
E — Encouragement in God’s Presence, Promises, and People
Leadership pours out constantly.
Who fills you spiritually, emotionally, and relationally?
Who reminds you of truth when pressure distorts perspective?
S — Safety in God and Trusted Relationships
Real transformation requires honesty.
Not curated vulnerability.
Not platform transparency.
Actual safety.
Who knows the real you beneath the role?
Who has permission to ask difficult questions?
Freedom grows where safety exists.
T — Transformation Through Trial
Pain does not automatically produce maturity.
But surrendered pain can. Suffering vines make great wines.
Every difficult season carries an invitation toward deeper formation.
Ask yourself:
How am I growing through what I’m facing today?
The Invitation
The world rewards exhausted leaders until they collapse.
Jesus offers another way.
Maybe the future of healthy leadership is not found in doing more.
Maybe it begins with learning to R.E.S.T. and rise.
Nathan and Tricia have been married 30 years with 4 children and 3 grand babies. With over 25 years of pastoral and non-profit leadership, Nathan is honored to serve as the Executive Director of Oasis Rest International, helping thousands of Christian leaders discover R.E.S.T. makes a better story.
nathan.lagrange@oasisrest.org