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Rest, Gratitude & Thriving
Carr & Crawford, MHM 2017
Rest: to cease work or movement in order to relax,
sleep, or recover strength (Oxford)
Gratitude: an emotional response to a gift. It is the
appreciation felt after one has been the beneficiary of an
altruistic act (Emmons & Crumpler, 2000)
In PairsGroup 1: Read some of the scriptures and
discuss what themes you find in these
verses about rest.
Group 2: Read some of the scriptures and
discuss what themes you find in these
verses about or gratitude.
In Large Group
As you read these verses, what
strikes you about God’s purposes
for rest and gratitude?
Perfectionism and Burnout
Perfectionistic Striving : setting high
standards of performance
Perfectionistic Concerns : self-criticalness
about performance and fear of making
mistakes
● Less than 6 hours or more than 8 hours
had more inflammatory markers
associated with morbidity.
● But, quality of sleep even more
important than quantity.
● Better quality sleep associated with
living longer and having better cognitive
function (attention, memory, reaction
time, executive function)
● Lower quality associated with cognitive
and physical problems, inflammation,
disease (obesity, diabetes, heart
disease, some cancers), increased risk
for Alzheimer’s
In Groups of 4
Group 1: What are barriers that stop
us from resting?
Group 2: What are barriers that stop
us from being grateful?
Barriers to Rest● worry/anxiety
● perfectionistic concern (fear of failure and fear of
criticism) directly linked to burnout
● need to be productive
● not wanting to miss anything
● need to prove worth through productivity (Luke 10:39-
42)
● concern about what others will think
● belief that rest is optional
● self-judgement of laziness
● too much to do
Barriers to Gratitude
● Being too busy and pre-occupied to notice gifts
● Being self-focused
● Being entitled
● Being perfectionistic
● Fear of feeling indebted
● Being too tired/stressed
● Being impatient
EXTERNAL Practices of Rest
● Regular habit of 7-8 hours of sleep per night
● Vacations
● Setting boundaries
● Organize/Prioritize time
● Days off
● Sabbatical
● Sabbath keeping
Internal Posture for Overcoming Barriers to Rest
“I’ve yet to meet a pastor whose life is balanced,
rhythmic, whole, centered, [and] anchored who is
not practicing Sabbath.
—Pete Scazerro
Internal Posture for Overcoming Barriers to Rest
"My job is not to solve people's problems or make
them happy, but to help them see the grace
operating in their lives.”
― Eugene H. Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction
EXTERNAL Practices of Gratitude
● Worship
● Prayers of gratitude
● Gratitude Journal
● Write specific things you are grateful about
certain people
● Send notes of encouragement
● Take times of celebration
● Find symbols for remembrances of God’s gifts
to you.
Internal Posture of GratitudeChristian Telos of gratitude (McMinn, 2017, p. 84)
1. We recognize a gift is being offered,
however undeserving we may deem
ourselves to be
2. We recognize the source of the gift
to be outside ourselves. Someone
else is offering us this gift
3. Rather than resisting the gift and
insisting on our own sufficiency, we
gratefully receive it, acknowledging
the goodness of the gift and the
giver.
Gratitude Questionnaire
1. On page 11, take the Gratitude Questionnaire
2. Reflect on one way you want to grow
3. (Optional), discuss your thoughts with a partner
Rhythm of Gratitude
Humbly noticing the gift
Seeing the giver
Receiving both
McMinn, 2017, p. 85
Personal Reflection
Write down several action steps of how you
might apply what we’ve discussed today to
your own life and how you might apply it to
your work with missionaries.
