It’s so easy to run non-stop as a leader in the church and business world, and it’s killing us. Ruth Haley Barton is an incredibly driven leader, but she found herself pushing burnout at 30 as a young mom with a rising platform in ministry. In an effort to recover her soul and her life, she embraced Sabbath, rest and retreat.
Ruth talks about how to begin taking a Sabbath (even if you think you don’t have the time) and offers beginner tips and some profound insights on connecting with your soul so you can thrive in the long run.
Welcome to Episode 260 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.
Guest Links
Ruth Haley Barton | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Ruth’s Books
How Is It with Your Soul: Leadership Assessment
Episode Links
Get your life and leadership back with the High Impact Leader. It’s an online course you can do on demand to beat burnout and get things done without giving up the things you love most. Check it out at thehighimpactleader.com.
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I Used to be a Human Being by Andrew Sullivan
3 Insights from Ruth
1. The more connected we are, the more disconnected we become
Technology is dangerous because it’s keeping us stimulated. There’s no time to quiet down and hear the still small voice of God.
In our modern society, the norm is to move fast enough where we cannot hear our soul. The soul doesn’t compete. It is not going to shout and yell about all the other distractions we allow into our lives. We need to make space to hear what we really need.
Technology is keeping us distracted with the outer world rather than being in touch with our inner world – where our soul has something to say to God and where God is wanting to say something true to our souls.
2. If you don’t take the Sabbath, the Sabbath will take you
Sabbath is an extremely difficult, but important spiritual discipline to keep in your weekly rhythm. Both secular culture and church culture will often try to keep you moving and busy all day on Sunday, but keeping a Sabbath is one of the best ways to be countercultural as a Christian.
While practicing the Sabbath, rest, worship, and delight are the three primary areas to focus your attention. This model is how God chose to Sabbath, so we are actually taking a chance to be more like God when we practice Sabbath in this way. When we don’t practice this discipline, we put ourselves on a road that leads to burnout and exhaustion.
3. As parents, we cannot let our children’s activities overtake our own health
It is extremely common in our North American culture to allow kid activities to dictate our lives. Ruth argues that we need to protect our Sabbath day even if our kids have commitments. Her daughter did this in her teenage years and this actually led her daughter to realize just how critical a Sabbath day was.
The competitive nature and mindset that parents take on nowadays is a sign that we need to check ourselves and our priorities as a parenting culture. The minute parents are getting in fights in the parking lot of their children’s game is the minute they should wave a flag and start asking some deeper questions about what is really going on. The minuscule chance of a kid going pro is not worth the time, effort, or energy some of the most deeply committed parents put into these activities.
Quotes from Episode 260
If you don't take the Sabbath, the Sabbath will take you. @cnieuwhof Click To Tweet
We distract ourselves with technology so that we don't have to pay attention to the unresolved pain within us. @transformingcnt Click To Tweet
Desperation is a really good place for a Christian to be. @transformingcnt Click To Tweet
As Christians, we've got to drive some stakes in the ground and not let the culture tell us what's normal. @transformingcnt Click To Tweet
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Next Episode: Michael Hyatt
Michael Hyatt is one of the top influencers in the leadership space today. His books consistently reach the New York Times best sellers list and his company helps millions of leaders a year become better. In this interview, Michael explains how to focus with far greater effectiveness in a world filled with distraction, how to work less and accomplish more, and shares dozens of practical productivity tips. Plus, he talks about succession and where he’s heading next in life.
Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 261.
