Dying to Rest

When we believe our worth is determined by our productivity, rest feels elusive. We keep grinding, achieving, and striving. We tell ourselves that if we can just finish the next task, solve the next problem, or reach the next milestone, then we’ll be able to rest. But even when we complete those things, the rest we’re chasing rarely comes. Our hearts remain unsettled. Our minds race. Our souls still ache. Why? Because we’re not wired to find rest in ourselves.

From the beginning, God has shown us something far better. It is a rest that comes not from work completed by human hands, but from work completed by Him.

God’s Rest
In Genesis 2:2–3, Scripture tells us, “On the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.” At first glance, this might seem strange. Why would an all-powerful, limitless God need to rest? Was He weary from creation?

God doesn’t rest because He’s tired. He rests because His work was complete. It was good. It was enough.

God’s rest is not about recovery. It is about satisfaction. He wasn’t drained by effort. He was delighted in what He had made. Rest, in its truest and most divine form, is not the absence of activity but the presence of contentment. It is the deep, unshakable peace that says, “This is good. This is enough.” That’s what biblical rest is. It is not collapsing from exhaustion. It is delighting in completed and sufficient work.

The Rest We Long For
Every one of us is, in some way, longing to rest. We ache for peace. We crave the feeling of being finished, of being enough, of having done enough. But something always seems to be missing. There is always another email, another assignment, another pile of laundry or project at work. Even our best days end with tasks undone and imperfections left behind.

And it’s not just physical work. The deeper unrest we feel is spiritual. We’re trying to earn our identity. We’re trying to prove our value. We believe that if we can just be good enough, holy enough, helpful enough, liked enough, and productive enough, then we’ll finally have peace. Then we can finally stop striving. Then we’ll rest. But that rest never comes, because our work was never meant to carry that weight.

The reality is our work will never be perfectly good or eternally enough. We cannot create the kind of rest our souls were designed to enjoy. If we try to find rest by working harder or achieving more, we will eventually collapse under the pressure. Conversely, we cannot find rest through lack of activity. Endless vacations are not what our soul needs. There is work which must be done for us to enjoy true rest, but that work is not our own. It can only be found in Christ.

Denying Ourselves to Rest in Christ
In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” This is a call to discipleship, but it is also a paradoxical invitation to rest. In a world that tells us to find ourselves through success, Jesus tells us to lose ourselves through surrender. In a culture that says, “Do more,” He says, “It is finished.”

The cross of Christ is not just the place where our sins are forgiven. It is the place where our striving ends. To rest in Christ, we must die to self. Die to the illusion that we can be enough on our own. Die to the lie that our worth is determined by our performance. Die to the belief that rest is earned by accomplishment. Only when we deny ourselves can we be free from ourselves. And only when we are free from ourselves can we rest in the work of Christ.

Hebrews 4:9–10 says, “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” The writer of Hebrews is inviting us into a rest that does not come from checking off every box on a to-do list. It comes from trusting in a finished work that we did not perform, but that was done perfectly on our behalf.

Jesus, on the cross, said, “It is finished.” Those three words are not just the end of His suffering. They are the beginning of our rest.

We do not have to earn God’s approval. We do not have to secure our own salvation. We do not have to keep working to prove our value. Christ’s life was perfectly obedient. His sacrifice was completely sufficient. His resurrection sealed the victory. The work that matters most is done.

His work is good. His work is enough.

What Does Resting in Christ Actually Look Like?
Rest in Christ isn’t passive. It’s not just sitting still. It is the active practice of trusting that Jesus is enough, even when life is still unfinished and imperfect. Here are a few ways to practice that kind of rest:

1. Take a True Sabbath: Pick one day each week to stop producing. Don’t check your work email. Don’t run errands just to get ahead. Instead, spend time in worship, go for a walk, read Scripture slowly, laugh with your kids, and enjoy a meal with people you love. Remember that the world does not need your constant hustle. God is always in control.
2. Believe Before You Build: Before jumping into your daily tasks, pause and remind yourself: “My worth is not in this to-do list. I am loved and accepted in Christ before I do anything today.” That simple prayer reorients your heart away from performance and back toward grace.
3. Accept “Good”: Perfectionism is a cruel master. Sometimes your work won’t be flawless. The email may have a typo. The house may still be messy. The conversation may not go as planned. Resting in Christ means releasing the pressure to be perfect, because Jesus already was.
4. Let Your “No” Be Worship: Jesus did not say yes to everything. Neither should you. Rest sometimes looks like saying no, even to good things, so you can say yes to what matters most: intimacy with God, relationships with others, and the health of your own soul.
5. Practice Evening Surrender: When your head hits the pillow at night and the list is still unfinished, remind yourself: “Jesus, finished the most important work today. I trust Him to carry what I can’t.” Then let sleep be an act of faith.

An Invitation to Rest
If rest feels like laziness, then work might be an idol. When we rest in Christ, we are not being unproductive. We are being faithful. We are worshiping. We confess that we believe Jesus and His work are enough. We declare our identity is secure, not because of what we do, but because of what He has done.

Take a Sabbath. Step away from the screens. Enjoy a quiet evening. Say no to one more project. These things are an act of faith. It is a way of dying to the lie that says, “I am what I do,” and living in the truth that says, “I am who Christ declares me to be.”

You may be weary right now. You may be juggling responsibilities that feel too heavy. You may feel like rest is a luxury you cannot afford. But Jesus offers you something better than temporary relief. He offers true rest.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

This is not rest you must earn. It is rest that has already been earned for you. It comes not from finishing everything, but from trusting the One who has already finished the most important thing. You are not the Savior. You are not the sustainer of the universe. You are not defined by your accomplishments. You are a beloved child of God, invited to lay down your burdens at the feet of Jesus and breathe deeply the peace He has made possible.

Rest. Not because everything is done, but because Christ’s work is done. Not because your work is perfect, but because His work is perfect. Not because you have nothing left to do, but because nothing left to do will ever define you.

Rest in Jesus, because you can.