You know that feeling when you wake up tired? When you’ve had eight hours of sleep but still feel like you’re running on fumes? I’ve been there. Perhaps you have been, too. There’s a weariness that goes deeper than physical exhaustion, a soul-level fatigue that no amount of coffee can fix.
Jesus knew this about us. He looked at the crowds of people who were spiritually and emotionally spent and said something revolutionary: “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Not “try harder” or “push through it.” Just come. Find me. Rest.
The Kind of Tired Sleep Can’t Fix
Here in Colorado Springs, we’re surrounded by people who are absolutely crushing it professionally. Military families juggling deployments and school schedules. Entrepreneurs building businesses. Parents coaching soccer teams while working full-time jobs. From the outside, it looks like we’ve got it all together. But I’ve sat across from enough people in my office to know the truth, which is that too many of us are exhausted in ways that vacation days can’t touch.
There’s a reminder in Luke 5:16 that has become one of my lifelines. It says this: “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Think about that for a second. Jesus, who had crowds following him everywhere, who was literally changing the world, regularly stepped away to recharge. The point? If the Son of God needed time to refill his tank, what makes us think we can keep pouring out without ever filling back up?
A Summer Game Plan that Actually Works
Summer here in the Springs is pure magic. The mountains are calling, the weather’s perfect, and there’s something in the air that whispers “slow down.” I want to give you a simple three-part framework to try these next few months that I’ve been using with my own family and sharing with our church community.
1. Actually Rest (And Feel Good About It)
Real rest isn’t just collapsing on the couch after a long day, even as sometimes that’s exactly what we need. It’s about creating intentional space for your soul to exhale. Here’s what I mean:
Take naps without apologizing for them. I’m serious. If you need to sleep at two in the afternoon on a Saturday, do it. Your body is trying to tell you something.
Get outside and walk. We live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Garden of the Gods isn’t just for tourists; ,it’s for us too. Let the mountains remind you how big God is and how much He cares about the details of your life.
Eat good food with people you love. There’s something sacred about sharing a meal without rushing through it. Turn off the phones, tell stories, laugh until your sides hurt.
These aren’t luxuries—they’re necessities. When Jesus talks about his yoke being easy and his burden being light, this is part of what he means. Rest is a gift, not something we have to earn.
Here’s the second thing:
2. Look Back to Move Forward
I’ve learned that we process life by looking at it, not by ignoring it or pushing through it. This summer, carve out some time to honestly assess where you’ve been. I call it “holy reflection,” and it starts with four questions. Ask:
What just happened? Write down the big stuff from the past six months. The promotion, the loss, the move, the diagnosis, the celebration. Don’t analyze it yet. Just name it.
What did I learn? God is always teaching us, even in the mess. Maybe you learned you’re stronger than you thought. Maybe you discovered that asking for help isn’t weakness but
wisdom. My counsel: go ahead and ask.
Where does it still hurt? This one’s hard, but it’s crucial. What’s still tender? What keeps you up at night? Jesus wants to meet you in those places, not skip over them.
How have I changed? Are you more patient than you were a year ago? More dependent on God? More aware of what really matters? Change isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it’s quietly transformative.
This isn’t therapy (though therapy can be great, too). It’s spiritual inventory. It’s taking time to see how God has been working in your story, even when you couldn’t see it in the moment.
Let’s move to the third thing …
3. Get Ready for What’s Next
After you’ve rested and reflected, it’s time to recharge for what’s ahead. This is where vision meets reality:
Where are you headed? Not just career-wise, but soul-wise. What is God stirring in your heart for this next season? Maybe it’s deeper relationships, maybe it’s a new area of service,
maybe it’s learning to receive love better.
What are you excited about? Hope is a powerful antidote to anxiety and depression. When we have something to look forward to—even something small—it changes how we walk through today.
What do you need that you don’t have? This could be practical (better boundaries at work) or spiritual (more time in prayer) or relational (honest friends who will tell you the truth). God wants to provide, but he also wants us to be honest about our needs.
Finding Your Mountain
Jesus had his mountains and quiet places, and you need yours, too. Maybe it’s the deck behind your house at sunrise, with a cup of hot coffee in hand. Maybe it’s Pulpit Rock or Palmer Park. Maybe, if you’re a parent of little kids, it’s your car in the driveway for ten minutes before you walk inside.
The location isn’t what matters; it’s the intention. It’s saying, “God, I need to hear from you. I need to remember who I am … and who you are in my life.”
In these moments, something happens that you can’t manufacture or rush. Your soul settles. Your perspective shifts. You remember that you’re not carrying the weight of the world. Jesus is.
Making It Real This Week
Let me challenge you with something practical. Just for this week, try these three shifts:
Block out rest time. I’m talking about putting it on your calendar like you would a doctor’s appointment. An hour, an afternoon, whatever you can swing. And when someone asks you to do something during that time, you can honestly say, “I already have plans.”
Start with one reflection question. Don’t try to process your entire life in one sitting. Pick one of those four questions and sit with it for thirty minutes. See what comes to mind.
Find your place. Where can you regularly get alone with God? It doesn’t have to be Instagram-worthy. It simply has to be yours.
Before you close this and move on to the next thing on your list, let me ask you something: What would it look like if you actually took Jesus up on his invitation to rest? What if this summer was different?
What if instead of arriving at fall more burned out than when you started, you showed up recharged and ready for whatever God has next?
You don’t have to figure it all out right now. But you can take the next step. And sometimes, the most radical thing we can do in our productivity-obsessed culture is to rest well, reflect honestly, and recharge intentionally.
Your soul is worth it. And God is waiting to meet you there.
I love being your pastor—
Brady
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