Epiphany invites us to see with new eyes and to recognize divine truth breaking through in unexpected places. This season, what if the revelation we most need is this: Rest is not a reward for faithful labor, but reparations for what relentless productivity has stolen from us?

In my work with Christian leaders navigating pivotal moments in ministry, I’ve witnessed how deeply we internalize a culture that measures our worth by output. We glorify exhaustion. We treat rest as something we must earn. Yet Scripture offers a different vision, one where Jesus, in the midst of good and holy work, calls his disciples away: “Come to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while” (Mark 6:31, NRSVue).

This isn’t just about recovery. It’s about repair.

As humans created for love, labor and leisure, our vision has become distorted. We overemphasize labor at the expense of the other two, believing some threshold of ministry must be crossed before rest is warranted. But rest is not the pause between productive seasons; it is itself a spiritual discipline that sustains our calling. It is a realization of our own identity, forged in the image of God.

Rest requires an attitude of abundance, dismantling the scarcity mindset that drives us. It repairs what grind culture has broken: our bodies, our relationships, our capacity for joy. Every act of rest becomes a quiet form of justice, a holy protest declaring, “I am not a machine; I am beloved.”

The guided reflection that follows emerged from a gathering of leaders learning to move from the “dance floor” to the “balcony” — cultivating the spiritual practices of rest and perspective-taking that true discernment requires.

A Guided Meditation for Epiphany

Scripture: Mark 6:30-32

“The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.”

Welcome and orientation

This meditation is sacred time — a brief pause to reclaim God’s rhythm for your life. You don’t have to perform or produce anything here. You simply have to be present.

Settling in

Find a posture that allows your body to rest — seated with feet on the floor or reclined comfortably. Let your hands rest gently in your lap. Soften your gaze or close your eyes if that feels comfortable.

With each breath, allow your body to arrive where your spirit already is — in the presence of God.

(Pause)

Reading the Scripture

Listen again to these words from the Gospel of Mark:

“The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.”

Even in the midst of ministry — of good and holy work — Jesus calls his followers to pause. Rest was not a reward; it was a requirement.

(Pause)

Reflection: Rest as reparations

Let’s linger with this truth: Rest is not just for recovery — it is reparations for our labor to uphold a culture of relentless productivity.

So many of us have been shaped by systems that glorify exhaustion and measure our worth by output. But the gospel invites us to repair what’s been stolen — our time, our peace, our sacred limits. Every act of rest becomes a quiet form of justice, a holy protest that says: I am not a machine; I am a beloved creation.

Jesus offers this invitation to all who have given themselves away — to the exhausted, the overextended, the ones who have carried more than their share. He says, “Come away … and rest a while.”

This rest repairs what grind culture has broken. It restores balance to our bodies and souls. It renews love where labor has overtaken leisure.

(Pause)

Ask yourself: What has my constant productivity cost me? My relationships? My health? My joy?

Now imagine Christ’s voice saying, “Beloved, I want to repair that in you.”

(Pause)

Guided breath practice

Let’s breathe together.

Inhale through the nose for a count of four.

Hold gently for two counts.

Exhale slowly through the mouth for a count of six.

Again:
Breathe in rest; breathe out striving.
Breathe in restoration; breathe out exhaustion.
Breathe in grace; breathe out guilt.

(Pause)

As you breathe, imagine God’s love repairing the worn places within you. Each breath becomes an act of reparation — reclaiming what constant motion has taken.

Let the Spirit remind you: You are worthy of restoration simply because you exist.

(Pause)

Guided imagery: Building sustainable rhythms

Now, picture your life as a rhythm — love, labor and leisure moving together like music.

Notice how often interruptions break the flow: emails, phone calls, unexpected needs, the pressure to be available to everyone.

These interruptions aren’t always wrong — many are necessary — but without boundaries, they steal the space God made for rest.

Imagine yourself learning to build a rhythm that can hold interruptions without losing peace. Picture yourself saying, “Yes, I see the need, but first, I must breathe.”

Visualize creating small, sacred pauses throughout your day — five minutes of stillness, one deep breath before each meeting, a daily walk where your phone stays behind.

Rest and reflection are not luxuries. They are spiritual disciplines that sustain your call.

(Pause)

Reflection prompts

When you’re ready, take a few moments to reflect on these questions. You might journal your responses or hold them in prayerful silence.

  • Where in your current rhythm of life has labor overtaken love or leisure?
  • What has that cost you?
  • What interruptions tend to pull you away from rest?
  • What routine could help you manage these interruptions with grace rather than guilt?

This is a conversation between you and God.

(Allow time for reflection)

Closing blessing

Place a hand over your heart.

Take one last deep breath in God’s love. Breath out your need to prove yourself.

Rest and reflection are not a break from your calling; they are a part of it. They are God’s way of repairing your soul and restoring your rhythm.

May the God who created you for love, labor and leisure grant you courage to resist the culture of endless doing. May Christ’s invitation to rest be your act of reparation. And may the Spirit guide you to build a rhythm that holds both your work and your stillness in holy balance.

Amen.