by Shannon Caughey

A long-time coach who experienced significant success later in his career was asked about his journey. This coach spent over two decades as an assistant coach before getting the head coaching opportunity he desired. It was these years as an assistant that led to his later success as a head coach, he said. He learned from the head coaches he was under, immersing himself in the way they approached every dimension of coaching. This enabled him to navigate all the challenges he faced along the way as a coach without getting burned out or discouraged, trusting that the journey would eventually bear fruit.

In this series of devotions, we’re looking at Matthew 11:28-30 and the promise of rest Jesus gives us: “²⁸ Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”We’re previously discussed two of the three commands we find in this passage: “Come to me” (v. 28) and “Take my yoke upon you” (v. 29). Let’s now consider Jesus’ third command: “learn from me” (v. 29). 

Like the long-time coach who benefitted from all he learned as an assistant, our ability to avoid getting burned out or discouraged is built upon all we learn from Jesus. This learning is about far more than getting a few pointers. It involves immersing ourselves in Jesus and his ways, such that Christ saturates every dimension of our life. Jesus is not a hard task-master. He is “lowly and humble in heart”: gracious, patient, familiar with what we experience, and with a heart to serve our deepest need. In particular, Jesus teaches us what it means to rest amid the rigors of life. Here are a couple things we learn from Jesus about how this rest can be a reality for us:

Pursue a God-ordained rhythm of work and rest. From the beginning of creation, God’s formula for thriving included following a rhythm of work and rest, energetic engagement and pulling back for renewal. After an intense time of ministry for his disciples, Jesus gives them this instruction in Mark 6:31—“He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.’” Learn from Jesus and pursue a regular pattern of coming away for rest amid the intensity of work and coaching. In the Bible, this pattern of rest—referred to as Sabbath—includes both hitting pause on your normal work and seeking renewal through refocusing on the Lord.

Practice being unhurried, even when life is full. During his time on earth, Jesus was carrying out the most important work ever: his mission to bring salvation to the world. Crowds consistently came to him and wanted something from him. He was also constantly training a smaller group of people as his disciples. Despite his life being very full, Jesus was never in a hurry. In fact, multiple times in the Gospels we see Jesus pausing what he was doing in order to interact with someone who “randomly” calls out to him (e.g., Mark 10:46-52). Because he was unhurried, Jesus was able to be fully present with people and fully present to his Father’s activity moment by moment.

Life as a coach is often very full, and it’s tempting to feel the pressure to hurry. When we’re in a hurry, it increases our fatigue and decreases our effectiveness for Christ. But when we learn from Jesus and choose instead to practice being unhurried, we are more present to the Lord and his work. We can rest in Jesus. Since he is sovereign over the universe, we can trust him to enable us to accomplish what really needs to be done.

How do you experience true rest amid the rigors of coaching? Come to Jesus and learn from him. Let Jesus and his ways saturate how you think about coaching and carry out your responsibilities as a coach. Hold fast to Christ’s promise that as you do so, “You will find rest for your soul.”

For reflection: Which of the two areas discussed would you like to grow in—pursuing a rhythm of work and rest, or practicing being unhurried? Ask the Lord to help you take steps forward in this area. Respond to Christ’s invitation to come to him for rest.