work. Unfortunately, most of us let either rest
or work dominate our life.
God’s pattern in creation and redemption
is simple: we receive rest that empowers us
to work; we don’t work to earn rest. It’s not
for nothing that in the account of creation in
Genesis 1 it says for each day, “Evening came
and then morning.” Part of the grace of Eden
is the pace of Eden. Likewise, we lay our heavy
burdens down when we come to Jesus, who
promised us rest; only then are we able to
“take his yoke” upon ourselves and do the
active work of learning from him (Matt. 11:28–
30).
Making replenishment a daily wellspring
not only allows us to experience more and
more of the kingdom with each passing day;
it reminds us that God is the one holding the
universe together. He’s at the center of it, not
me. He can accomplish his will in my life; my
responsibility is simply to partner in what he’s
already doing. I don’t know about you, but I
need rest to rescue me from taking myself too
seriously.
A Replenishment Audit: When it comes to
replenishment, you have to begin by taking
a replenishment audit: comprehending what
replenishment rhythms are and which ones
are active in your life today.
Think of replenishment as rest that recharges
your energy supply. God has built into our
natures the need both to fully discharge and
to fully recharge. Unfortunately, people can
get caught out of balance by doing too much
of one or the other.
This is where the replenishment audit comes
in. It consists of your thorough answers to this
fourfold question: What rest activities are you
doing to replenish yourself every day, every
week, every three months, and every year?
Answering this question gives you your current
replenishment rhythms.
Will Mancini is the founder of Auxano, a non-profit, nationally-based
church consulting firm, and the cofounder of Younique, a coaching
company that delivers life design training through local churches. He
has written five books, including Church Younique and God Dreams,
and enjoys speaking and writing about how to find clarity and live a
life of meaningful progress. Will lives in Houston with his wife Romy
and their four children. You can learn more about Will and his work
at willmancini.com.
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