About eleven years ago, during a period of silent meditation, I heard a phrase that changed my life: working from a place of rest.
Not working towards rest, but starting from it.
Like many people, I had unconsciously absorbed the idea that rest is a reward—a finish line waiting for us at the end of a long list of achievements, once all the work is done and we’ve finally proven we are “enough.”
But what if rest was never meant to be the reward? What if it was designed to be the foundation?
In the Beginning, Work Was Different
In the Garden of Eden, work existed, but it wasn’t fueled by fear, lack, or the pressure to prove one’s worth. Adam and the woman worked out of abundance and security. They weren’t striving to earn God’s approval or secure their place in His presence—they were already fully provided for and deeply loved. If they planted they knew they would reap and if they didn’t they could trust that it perhaps wasn’t time or God’s will, and it was working out for their good.
After the Fall, work turned into toil without guaranteed results (Genesis 3:17–19), and over time, humanity adopted the mindset that everything depends entirely on our own hustle and striving.
Entrepreneurs encourage us to become more strategic and work harder. Some religious messages can leave us feeling that we must give more, do more, or prove our devotion to secure a future of rest and abundance. And when things go wrong, we may look to external circumstances, including the government, to explain why our efforts have failed.
These influences shape how we approach life, often in ways we do not immediately recognise. But working from a place of rest offers a different way of living—one that makes room for what the Bible describes as “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7, KJV).
Instead of working from security, we strive to establish it. We strive to validate our worth, seek approval through service, and chase the next goal, hoping that one day we will finally earn the right to breathe easily.
Yet, as long as we keep moving the goalposts, true rest remains perpetually out of reach.
Why Does Rest Never Seem to Last?
Have you ever noticed how a retreat or vacation can leave you feeling refreshed, only for exhaustion to return just days after stepping back into normal life?
Of course, retreats, holidays, and time away can be genuinely restorative. Our bodies need sleep, and our minds need opportunities to slow down. If we don’t address the underlying beliefs that drive our constant striving, the fatigue will always find its way back.
Ask yourself:
- Do I believe I must always be productive to be valuable?
- Am I afraid that if I stop, everything will fall apart?
- Have I made rest into another achievement to unlock?
These questions invite us to look beyond our schedules and examine the beliefs shaping our lives.
When work is driven by a desire to prove our worth, even meaningful and fulfilling responsibilities become heavy burdens.
Rest Is Already Available
Jesus offers a refreshing alternative:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 (KJV)
This invitation requires no prerequisites. You don’t need to achieve a certain level of performance, clean up your schedule, or prove your devotion first. It is open to anyone who is tired and weary.
When Jesus declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He completed the work required for our acceptance and worth. Through grace, rest is a present gift to be received, not a future goal to be earned.
Living from rest doesn’t mean abandoning diligence or ambition. Rather, it frees us to serve without striving for approval, pursue excellence without perfectionism, and take responsibility without carrying the weight of the outcome.
We can work because we are loved, not to become worthy of love.
And perhaps this is what it means to work from a place of rest: to build, create, serve, and pursue meaningful things without the constant pressure to prove ourselves. To do what is ours to do while trusting God with what is beyond our control.
Learning to Live From Rest
Transitioning to living from rest takes intentional re-framing. It means understanding that your identity isn’t tied to your output and that God’s rest was never a reward for doing enough—it was an invitation to trust Him.
We often tell ourselves we’ll slow down when the business becomes more stable, when the children are older, when the bills are paid, or when we’ve finally accomplished enough. We postpone peace until our circumstances give us permission to experience it.
But life rarely becomes completely free of demands. There will always be responsibilities to attend to, decisions to make, and things that remain unfinished.
If we wait until everything is settled before allowing ourselves to rest, we may spend our entire lives waiting.
Working from rest invites us to approach life differently. It means allowing ourselves to pause without guilt, acknowledge our limitations without shame, and trust God even when we don’t have everything figured out.
Rest is a call to true restoration as God intended from the beginning as seen in the time of Adam and the woman in Eden. It’s an internal state of calm and total trust in God.
It means understanding that we can be fully engaged in our work without allowing that work to consume our sense of self.
God’s rest was never a reward for doing enough. It was an invitation to trust Him.
Perhaps the question isn’t whether we’ve done enough to deserve rest but whether we’re willing to receive the rest that Jesus has made available to us..
I dedicate a whole chapter delving deeper into the Rest in my latest book, The ABCs of Wellness Through Biblical Wisdom.
Get your copy through Amazon or the relevant link for your region:
