How can missionaries pursue rest and recreation that truly restores without slipping into indulgence?

Hale argues that rest and recreation provide important rehabilitation in the mission field. The need is not merely emotional. It is physical, mental, and spiritual, because long-term cross-cultural work continually drains attention and strength.

He notes that agency-required conferences can provide helpful rhythms, and families sometimes schedule vacations around conference times. Yet travel itself can be debilitating, and illness may still undermine attempts at rest.

Hale recommends an NGO-like model of taking short breaks every three months. Even then, leisure can become excessive, so balance is essential. Hale recommends taking daily breaks for hobbies to stay refreshed, including reading, staying current with the news, and engaging in puzzles or other social activities. He even cites William Carey’s hobby of botany as a helpful example of renewing work that does not compete with the calling.

Missionaries should build balanced rhythms of rest and recreation that genuinely restore strength for the work, guarding against both burnout and indulgence.

Related Material

• Rhythms that Keep You Whole — builds a whole-life rhythm framework for long-haul ministry health
• Pastoral Burnout Diagnostic Questions — diagnostic prompts to catch burnout patterns before they harden
• Understanding Culture Shock in Missionary Ministry — names culture-shock fatigue as a drain that rest rhythms must address

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Source: On Being a Missionary, by Thomas Hale & Gene Daniels

Kindle

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