The Extended Cut: Room to Breathe (Chris Zauner & Casey Olsen)

Pastor Casey Olsen asks Pastor Chris Zauner to recap his Sunday sermon, “Room to Breathe,” which focused on the Fourth Commandment, Sabbath, and rest. Chris says the sermon began by challenging broken assumptions about both work and rest. Work existed before the fall; it is not a curse or punishment, but part of God’s design that gives people an opportunity to represent Him and work for His glory. At the same time, people are meant to receive rest as a gracious gift, not use it as a religious task to earn God’s love or check off a spiritual list. Chris emphasizes that people can be anxious while working and anxious while resting. Someone may be unable to rest because they are afraid they will not finish everything, while another person may work desperately because they are longing for a break. In both cases, the person may fail to work or rest well. His central claim is that people often cannot rest well because they have not worked faithfully, and they cannot work well because they have not learned to rest. The goal is a redeemed rhythm: working hard without making work one’s identity, then receiving God’s grace, mercy, and goodness through rest.

Casey says the sermon avoided a common polarization. Some people overwork, attach their identity to productivity, and become anxious when they stop. Others lack a strong theology of work and can appear lazy or unmotivated, without the kind of meaningful fatigue that follows faithful effort. Casey notes that Sabbath has become a popular subject in Christian books over the past decade, but he worries that an intense focus on rest can obscure the importance of understanding work as God’s good design. Both pastors argue that Sabbath cannot solve the deeper fear, anxiety, or desire for significance that people bring to it. Chris says people may look outside Jesus—to a job, productivity, or even a book promising an “ancient rhythm” of Sabbath—for an answer to their need to feel significant. He argues that blessed rest requires a redeemed perspective and practice of work. If he has not given his best during the week, his time off may be physically restful or merely lethargic, but guilt, shame, unfinished tasks, and anxiety keep it from being mentally, emotionally, and spiritually restorative. They also warn that because rest is a felt need and attracts clicks, people can accept poor advice simply because it promises an easy answer.

Casey describes a season in graduate school when he worked part-time at the church, studied full-time, had no children, and had a relatively easy lifestyle. Even with substantial free time, he felt restless, anxious, and sometimes tired. He played a lot of video games because, after finishing schoolwork and work at the church, his wife was still at her full-time job and he did not know what else to do. A career and character coach challenged his assumption that video games were restful, suggesting that they could reinforce anxiety by making him feel unproductive and might not be helping his mind or body recover. Chris calls this “mental evacuation” or escapism rather than genuine rest. He says playing Call of Duty does not help him remember how God has answered prayers, and playing an NCAA football dynasty does not make him appreciate the children and blessings God has placed in his real life. Instead, the activity can block out reality and substitute an alternative one for the life God has given him. They apply the same warning to Netflix, streaming, and sports: hobbies can be good, but becoming absorbed in entertainment to avoid responsibilities or relationships is a “cheap, fraudulent means” of rest. Rest, as they describe it, involves restoration and enjoyment of the fruits of faithful labor, not simply distraction.

Casey asks how Chris has learned to practice healthy rhythms while leading a church, caring for a large family, attending seminary, and carrying many responsibilities. Chris says one of his hardest lessons has been learning to say no, even to good opportunities. He gives the example of declining invitations to football games. Although he enjoys attending games with friends, in his current season he may choose to watch football at home with his children, who are old enough to learn about a sport he loves and once played. Spending that time with them is more restful and valuable for his present responsibilities. Chris also says he rests more peacefully when he has given his best during the week. If he has coasted, skipped responsibilities, or treated work time as undeserved margin, he carries that failure into his day off. Reflection is part of Sabbath for him, but it should ideally produce joy and appreciation rather than anxiety, fear, or self-condemnation. He admits that nobody will have a perfect week and that there may still be things to process, but faithful effort changes the character of that reflection. Chris trusts that God has given him enough time for what God has called him to do. If something remains undone despite hard work, he believes God can provide or raise up someone else, rather than requiring him to act as though he is indispensable.

Chris connects rest to integrity in every area of life. When he gives different people conflicting versions of himself or tries to maintain several stories, he creates anxiety between meetings and relationships. He clarifies that this does not mean everyone should receive unrestricted access to his burdens; he has a few trusted men with whom he shares those things. But the people who do receive access should get the real, honest version of him. A stable and truthful way of living makes rest easier because he does not have to spend his time preserving false versions of himself. Casey adds that God’s grace often meets people when diligent work is interrupted by unexpected demands. He describes arriving at work amid extra meetings and responsibilities, worried that something needed for a meeting had not been prepared, only to discover that the meeting itself had changed or the material was no longer needed. The difference, he says, is between being unprepared because he spent the week scrolling Instagram and being unprepared because he worked hard while real events kept arising. Chris also describes boundaries at home and work. He generally leaves work at the church, sometimes even leaving his laptop there, so that home is genuinely home. His daughter may visit the office because people there are important to her, but he has to explain that she cannot simply consume all of his work time if she wants him to remain fully faithful at home. Since his wife, Bri, also works at the church, they sometimes have to separate work conversations from family time. The goal is to honor the people and time category presently in front of them.

Near the end, Casey points out that the Sabbath commandment is the longest and most detailed of the Ten Commandments, specifying what should happen not only to the individual but also to family members, servants, animals, and others. The Mosaic law develops those requirements even further. He says Christians therefore have to wrestle with what Sabbath practice should look like after Christ fulfills the Sabbath and removes the religious pressure to perform it in the same Mosaic-law manner. Casey observes that the New Testament appears to give believers some freedom. Paul seems to allow one person to honor a particular day or practice more rigorously while another follows a less rigid pattern, with Christians called to support rather than condemn one another. He asks Chris what is essential to his own Sabbath, noting that reflection is clearly important to him. Rather than rushing to answer, Chris proposes that they devote a future episode of “In the Trenches” to the practical question of how they Sabbath and what New Testament principles should guide Christians today. Casey accepts the plan, and they direct listeners to “In the Trenches with Chris Zauner and Casey Olsen” on Spotify and YouTube for that follow-up. They close by asking listeners to subscribe, rate the podcast, and share it with a friend.