The Distraction of Doing

By Melissa McGath | July 09, 2026

I’ve never been very good at resting.

Even as a little girl, I loved getting up early to make the most of every day. Back then, it meant squeezing in as much playtime as possible before the sun went down. As an adult, that same drive followed me into work and home. I genuinely enjoy creating, organizing, building, remodeling, and moving things forward. Completing something brings me a deep sense of satisfaction.

The problem wasn’t the drive itself. It was how easily I began relying on that feeling, which made rest seem less valuable simply because nothing was getting finished.

I was reminded of this recently while talking with a friend who leads a nonprofit. She mentioned she hadn’t opened her computer for over a week, and the next day would be her first day back in the office. She shared it without apology, and I found myself admiring her ability to step away without needing to justify it.

Whenever vacation gets close, my first reaction is usually guilt. I think about the work that will pile up, the decisions that will wait, and how far behind I’ll feel when I return.

Even when I do step away, my mind is often still building something. I may be on vacation or relaxing with my family, but internally I’m planning, solving, or creating.

As CEO, I carry a deep responsibility for the vision God has entrusted to me. What began as a desire to steward that calling well slowly shifted into a belief that if I wasn’t pushing that vision forward every day, I wasn’t leading it well.

I’m realizing I’ve confused doing with faithfulness.

The Real Challenge

In Mark 6, the disciples had just returned from ministering to crowds of people. There was still work to do, and there were still people waiting for Jesus. Yet His response wasn’t to send them back into the crowd. Instead, He said, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.”

I love that Jesus didn’t wait until every need had been met before inviting His disciples to rest. The work wasn’t finished, but He knew they were finite. Rest was part of preparing them to continue the work, not a reward for completing it.

That challenges me because I often treat rest as something I earn. Jesus invited His disciples to rest before the work was finished, reminding me that trusting Him sometimes looks like stepping away before everything is done.

Leading From a Full Cup

When I go too long without stepping away, I feel it in my leadership. My mind becomes overloaded, decisions take longer, creativity fades, and joy starts to disappear. And instead of bringing my concerns to the Lord first, I spend too much energy trying to solve them myself.

Ironically, some of the clearest direction I’ve received from the Lord has come when I finally stopped working. It came because I created space to hear God’s voice more clearly, away from the distraction of doing.

Resting With Confidence

I’m still learning where faithful stewardship ends and trusting God begins. He calls me to work diligently, lead with excellence, and care well for the people He’s entrusted to me. He never asks me to carry the weight of outcomes that belong to Him alone.

Every time I step away, I have a choice. I can believe that everything depends on me, or I can trust that the God who gave me this vision is more than capable of sustaining it while I rest.

The work will always be there tomorrow. My prayer is that I work wholeheartedly when it’s time to work, rest confidently when it’s time to rest, and remember that the vision has always belonged to God more than it has ever belonged to me.

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If guilt has made it hard for you to step away, download The Distraction of Doing Leadership Reflection Guide. It’s a simple resource to help you pause, reflect, and ask where God may be inviting you to trust Him more fully.

“And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while….”

— Mark 6:31