Hey FCA Families!
Parent Corner #20 – Rest
“Rest precedes blessing. We don’t have to run to earn rest; we run fueled by a posture of rest.” — Rebekah Lyons
Rest can feel like a foreign concept for many of us as parents.
Culture tells us something different. Stay busy. Fill the calendar. Keep the kids moving. Practices, lessons, training, games. If the schedule isn’t full, it can feel like we’re falling behind.
But what if that’s not the way it was meant to be?
Rest isn’t the opposite of hard work. Rest is part of the rhythm of it.
Without rest, we’re missing a piece of the puzzle.
God modeled this from the very beginning. In creation, He worked and then He rested. Not because He was tired, but because rest was always meant to be part of the rhythm of life.
Jesus modeled the same thing. Throughout the Gospels, we see Him stepping away from crowds and even His closest disciples to spend quiet time with His Father.
He paused.
He breathed.
He rested.
As parents of young athletes, maybe one of the best gifts we can give our kids is not just teaching them how to work hard — but showing them how to rest well.
Because athletes who learn to rest learn something deeper than recovery.
They learn trust.
Meet Ray
Ray had a busy stretch of games and practices. One Saturday morning, he grabbed his glove and asked his dad if they could go hit at the field again.
His dad smiled and said, “Not today.”
Ray looked surprised. “Why not?”
“Because today is a rest day,” his dad said. “Even athletes need to rest so they can come back stronger.”
Instead of heading to the field, they spent the afternoon together — a walk, a meal, and some time talking about life.
Later that night Ray said, “I think I needed that.”
Sometimes the best thing we can do for our kids isn’t pushing them forward.
Sometimes it’s helping them pause.
Takeaway: Rest isn’t weakness. It’s rhythm. This week, look for one small way to model rest in your home — slowing down, stepping away, or simply choosing presence over productivity.
Win The Day,
Troy Farley
FCA Sports League Director