You know, I've been thinking about something lately. We live in a world that pushes us to keep going. To keep producing, to keep hustling to grind. Stopping begins to feel like failure taking a break. Uh, you feel like you're lazy, and yet when we look at scripture, rest isn't weakness at all. It's wisdom. So why today's episode is a little bit different. This is actually episode 75 of Lead in 10. That's amazing to think about. This wasn't a number I thought we would get to at all, um, week after week. You know, it's been a privilege to open up God's word with you and talk about what it means to lead like Christ, but I've realized something. It is time for me to take a short sabbatical from this podcast. Just a few weeks. I'll be back in October, and I want to talk with you about why, because the lesson of sabbatical is one I think every Christian leader needs. When we open the Bible, rest is everywhere. Think about creation. Even at the beginning, God worked six days and then he rested on the seventh. Now he wasn't tired. I mean, he's God, but he modeled something for us. A rhythm. Work hard. Yes, but also stop. Breathe. Trust him enough to rest. We can get so caught up in the to-dos that we begin to miss the why and the connection. I think Paul understood this too. After his dramatic encounter on the road to Damascus, Paul didn't immediately launch into missionary journeys or, or trying to change the world that he came from. Galatians one tells us he spent time away in Arabia. Why? Well, Paul needed the process. He needed to learn, he needed to listen before he wrote all these letters, uh, before the churches that he started and started and supported before the incredible ministry we know him for. Paul started with a kind of sabbatical, a time to concentrate, a time to learn. And even Jesus over and over the gospel show him stepping away. Sometimes he goes to the mountains, sometimes he went into wilderness. Uh, sometimes he simply just withdrew from the crowds and we're not exactly sure where he went. He healed, he taught, he served, but he also had to stop. He prayed. He reflected even the son of God in all his glory and all his wisdom. Chose to rest before big moments. It is interesting because we see in history that the disciples did this too. Uh, not every journey they took was about planting churches or preaching sermons. Some trips were simply about visiting old friends or getting away from the constant pressures of, of ministry where they were at, just seeing things with, with new eyes and a new vision. But those pauses didn't mean that they stopped being disciples. What it meant was they were human and they needed space to see God through a, a different lens. And, and maybe that's where you are today. Maybe things are hard and you're thinking, I need a break before I break. Or maybe things are going well and you thinking, Hey, why stop now? I keep pressing forward. Or maybe you feel stuck in the middle. Like there's not really anything happening at all. It's just. The same boredom day after day after day in every one of those seasons, it's okay to kind of step away. It's okay to take a sabbatical. For me, this podcast has been a joy. I mean, it's, it's led to a book. Um, it's led to me getting clear on some things that I wasn't clear about before. But as I came up on episode 75, I realized things are starting to run on autopilot, and that's not how I want to serve you and, and not what this podcast was about. I want each episode to, to be fresh, to mean something, to be led from the spirit and, and lead to a fuller, a fullness of life. And so I'm gonna step back this month and. Spend some time with God, with reflection and come back in October with a, with renewed sense of purpose. So let be clear about this. Rest is not retreating. Feel like we're in a battle and we need to stay in it, but we can't. That's what hurts us. Sabbatical is not a surrender. We're have to think of it as preparation. It's about trusting that God is still working. Even when you stop working and when you return, you come back with strength, with perspective, and maybe with a little joy that you simply can't find if you never stop and breathe. So maybe the lesson from today is this. Give yourself permission. To rest if Paul needed it, if Jesus modeled it, if the disciples took it, you and I, we certainly do too. Don't wait until you're burned out. Don't assume that things have to be falling apart before you. Pause. Rest when it's hard. Rest, when it's good. Rest, when it's quiet. And here's the beautiful thing. God meets us there in the quiet, in the slowing down and stepping away. That's where he refreshes us for this work that he's calling us to do. It's not in chaos. The scriptures, you know, call it that, that, that small voice. So that's my encouragement. We, we need to step away where he can refresh us for what he is calling us to do. And so while I'm gone for this month, while we miss the next couple of weeks, ask yourself where do I need to step back, even just a little so I can get filled back up again. I'll be back in October with some new episodes, but until then, let's remember to gather it's not only okay to rest, it's biblical. This is Leading 10. I'm Chris Moore and thank you for joining me. Keep leading with love with truth. And I'll see you soon.