Biblical Renewal for the Weary Leader: Learning to Abandon Outcomes
Finding Rest and Renewal by Surrendering Control and Trusting Christ with the Outcomes
This is the third post in a three-part series on leadership burnout and renewal in Christian education.
Part 1 — Recognizing the Signs: Leadership Burnout in Christian Education
Part 2 — Burned Out? 3 Steps to Follow with VIM
Part 3 — Biblical Renewal for the Weary Leader (this post)
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT)
It’s a call to the Christian school leader who lies awake at night wondering if the work is ever truly finished. The constant thoughts about who might be upset with you. The goals that are not being accomplished in the way you had intended. These demands—often coming all at once—leave little room for rest and even less for reflection. And it’s not just rest from work—but a rest of the soul, a renewal that touches the deepest parts of our being.
In Part 2, we explored how Dallas Willard’s VIM model—Vision, Intention, Means—provides a framework for sustainable leadership. But even with the best structures and intentions, the journey of leadership is not without its challenges. We need a deep and gripping vision. That’s why Jesus’ invitation to come to Him for rest is so powerful.
Dallas Willard writes in Renovation of the Heart, "His own greatness of soul made meekness and lowliness the natural way for Him to be (Philippians 2:3-11). Being in His yoke is not a matter of taking on additional labor to crush us all the more, but a matter of learning how to use His strength and ours together to bear our load and His."
The Secret of the Easy Yoke
This is the secret of the easy yoke—not that the work disappears, but that it is shared. Too often, we assume that to lead well, we must carry the full weight of vision, strategy, and execution. But Christ invites us to learn a different rhythm. His invitation is not to work harder but to rest deeper. He calls us to abandon the outcomes to Him, as Willard points out, "We do not have in ourselves—in our own ‘heart, soul, mind, and strength’—the wherewithal to make this come out right, whatever ‘this’ is. Even if we ‘suffer according to the will of God,’ we simply ‘entrust our souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right’ (1 Peter 4:19)."
Practical Steps for Resting in Christ
What might this look like in your leadership? It means beginning each day not with a list of demands but with an acknowledgment of His strength. It means pausing in the middle of chaos to breathe in His presence and remember who is ultimately holding it all together. And it means ending the day not with anxiety over what remains undone but with peace, knowing that obedience is ours and outcomes are His.
To lead from rest is not a resignation from responsibility—it is the opposite. It’s an interactive partnership with Christ in the work He is already doing. And as Willard beautifully concludes, "What rest comes with it!"
For the weary leader, biblical renewal begins with surrender. It is not a surrender of responsibility, but of control. It is stepping into Christ's yoke, where our strength meets His. We labor, we plan, we strategize, but the outcomes belong to Him. It is here, in this place of humility and confidence in Jesus, that our souls find rest.
Take a few minutes to enjoy this beautiful song by Tim Timmons and enter into the easy yoke.
It’s not my place
to hold the weight
or be afraid
I surrender the outcome
to live the life
you’ve put inside
‘til your work is done
I surrender the outcome