Tired, so tired

If at no other place in the Gospel, I know that Jesus gets me when he said, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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 NRSV).
Now as a pastor rest is not something that I do well. I am a victim of my own ego, which leads me to believe that the congregation I serve cannot function without me. While I do make a valuable contribution to the congregation, I know (or at least I should) that the congregation can not only function but do just fine without me.
This leads to the question: If the congregation can function without me, why do I work as if I am essential? Why do I not take time off to recharge?
Jesus valued rest. He consistently made time to pray and rest; indeed the quotation above is in the context of a prayer. If Jesus valued rest and modeled it himself, why do I consistently overwork myself?
I recently attended a Spiritual Friends retreat sponsored by Asbury Seminary (nice folks). The whole point of the retreat was to give me time to ask and answer those questions about rest. I am deeply thankful for that time and the rest I received sitting on the beach in Florida. What a joy to rest in the Lord.
I am glad I have had the opportunity to ask these questions and to face the reality that it is Jesus' church and I am just serving him through my work AND my rest.