Resilience Meets Rest

LeeAnn Babirad / Creative Director

Sixteen hours after having emergency abdominal surgery, I was back on-stage playing bass at Sunday service. I could feel the “mom looks” from people in the congregation, those glances that said, “You’re crazy for being here after surgery!” And they weren’t wrong. But for me, being in worship wasn’t about proving how tough I am. It was about drawing strength from the One who never grows weak, even when I do.

Still, I’ve had to wrestle with what resilience really means. Sometimes resilience looks like showing up, even when it doesn’t make sense to anyone else. Other times, resilience looks like slowing down, receiving God’s gift of rest rather than trying to push through on my own. Those “mom looks” reminded me that while God honors our perseverance, He also commands us to pause, to breathe, and to recover.

Jesus modeled this balance perfectly. He poured Himself out healing, teaching, and serving. Yet Scripture also tells us, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16) If the Son of God needed moments of rest and renewal, how much more do I?

That’s the tension I’m learning to live in: resilience without rest burns me out, but rest without resilience keeps me stuck. True strength is found in holding both.

At the end of the day, resilience isn’t about how quickly I can bounce back or how strong I can appear to others, it’s about trusting God with both my fight and my rest. Those “mom looks” reminded me that my time, my health, and even my recovery belong to Him. When I give Him both my strength and my weakness, He renews me in ways I could never manage on my own. That’s the balance I’m learning: to stand firm when called, to rest when needed, and to trust that in both, God is making me whole.

Love, 

Lee

P.S. To all those moms who gave me the “mom look”, thank you for loving and caring for me.