The generation that was raised to "work hard, play hard" is now learning the hard way that we can't keep running on empty. But what does faith have to do with it?
The Forgotten Middle Child of Generations
Remember when we were kids, and our parents would tell us to go outside and play until the streetlights came on? No cell phones. No tracking apps. Just a vague instruction to "be home for dinner." Those were the days, right?
As Gen Xers, we grew up in a unique time. Born roughly between 1965 and 1980, we're the generation that remembers life before the internet but adapted quickly enough to explain technology to our Boomer parents while rolling our eyes at how "extra" the Millennials can be about their digital existence.
We're the generation that was raised on a steady diet of "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" and "no pain, no gain." Work ethic wasn't just encouraged—it was expected. Taking a day off? That was for the weak. Needing a mental health break? That wasn't even in our vocabulary.
And somehow, this perfect storm of cultural expectations created a generation that doesn't know how to rest without feeling guilty about it.
Sound familiar?
The Gen X Burnout Epidemic
Let's paint a picture: It's Tuesday night, 11:30 PM. You're still answering work emails while simultaneously helping your teenager with a project due tomorrow (that they just remembered about), checking in on your aging parents via text, and mentally calculating how many hours of sleep you can get if you go to bed within the next twenty minutes. Oh, and you haven't had a proper vacation in... wait, when was your last vacation again?
This isn't just being busy. This is burnout with a capital B.
According to recent studies, Gen X reports higher levels of stress and work-related burnout than any other generation. We're sandwiched between caring for both children and aging parents while often being at the peak of our careers—careers that now expect us to be available 24/7 thanks to the technology we've enthusiastically adopted.
As one Gen X friend put it: "I remember when 'working from home' meant you were doing something shady. Now it means I'm working during my kid's soccer game, during dinner, and probably in my dreams too."
The irony isn't lost on us that we were the "latchkey kid" generation who craved more parental attention, and now we're trying to be super-present parents while simultaneously being super-present employees, super-present children to our aging parents, and super-present friends/spouses/community members.
Something had to give, and unfortunately, that something has often been our mental, physical, and spiritual health.
The Faith Factor: Where God Fits in Our Burnout
For those of us navigating life with faith as our compass, there's an added layer to the burnout conversation. The Bible actually has quite a bit to say about rest—it's not just a nice suggestion; it's a command. Remember that whole "Sabbath" thing? Yeah, that wasn't just for ancient Israelites wandering in the desert.
God literally baked rest into the creation story. After six days of cosmic interior decorating, even the Creator of the universe took a day off. If the Almighty needed a breather after making mountains and narwhals, what makes us think we can power through decades without one?
Yet here we are, the generation raised on "God helps those who help themselves" (which, by the way, isn't actually in the Bible—that's Benjamin Franklin), trying to reconcile our faith with our frenetic lifestyles.
As Christians, we're supposed to believe that God is in control. That His yoke is easy and His burden is light. That we can cast our anxieties on Him because He cares for us. But let's be honest—between the mortgage, the middle schooler who's suddenly failing math, and the meeting that got rescheduled for the third time this week, it's hard to remember that we're not actually the ones spinning all the plates.
Our faith tells us to rest in God's provision, but our Gen X programming tells us that if we're not hustling, we're failing.
The Roots of Our Restlessness
To understand why we struggle with rest, we need to look back at what shaped us. Gen X grew up during significant economic uncertainty, the Cold War, rising divorce rates, and the dawn of 24-hour news cycles. We learned early that the world was unpredictable and that self-reliance was key to survival.
Remember the economic recessions of the '70s and early '90s? Many of us watched our parents lose jobs or struggle financially. The lesson? Work hard and save because security is never guaranteed.
We entered the workforce during massive corporate downsizing and the mantra of "doing more with less." The message was clear: make yourself indispensable or be replaced.
Then came the digital revolution, which promised more freedom but delivered the expectation of constant availability instead. We embraced the cell phones, the laptops, the "flexible work arrangements" that mysteriously flexed only in the direction of more work, not more life.
For those of us with faith backgrounds, we sometimes inherited a theology that equated productivity with godliness. The Protestant work ethic on steroids, if you will. Wasn't there something in the Bible about idle hands being the devil's workshop? Better keep those hands busy!
All of this created a perfect storm for a generation that views rest as, at best, an occasional luxury and, at worst, a sign of weakness or moral failing.
The Biblical Case for Rest (That We Keep Ignoring)
Here's the kicker: If we take our faith seriously, we have to acknowledge that God seems pretty concerned with our rest. Let's look at the evidence:
- The Creation Story: God created for six days and rested on the seventh, establishing a rhythm of work and rest from the very beginning.
- The Ten Commandments: The fourth commandment is all about taking a Sabbath day. Not a suggestion—a commandment, right up there with "don't murder" and "don't steal."
- Jesus' Teaching: Remember when Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"? He didn't say, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I'll give you a more efficient productivity app."
- The Psalms: They're full of invitations to "be still and know that I am God." Not "hustle harder and know that I am God."
The biblical narrative consistently presents rest not as laziness but as wisdom—a recognition of our human limitations and our dependence on God.
Yet somehow, we've convinced ourselves that this particular teaching doesn't apply to us. "Sure, God rested on the seventh day, but He didn't have a presentation due on Monday or a kid with travel soccer."
The Cost of Constant Motion
Our inability to rest isn't just making us tired—it's robbing us of joy, damaging our relationships, and even affecting our faith.
When we're perpetually exhausted, our emotional reserves are depleted. We're more irritable, less patient, and far less likely to respond with the love and kindness our faith calls us to exhibit. (Just ask my family how spiritual I am when I've had back-to-back Zoom meetings all day and someone asks what's for dinner.)
Our relationships suffer when we're always busy. How many of us have missed important moments because we were "just finishing something up" for work? How many conversations with our spouses, children, or friends have been half-attended because our minds were still churning through our to-do lists?
And our spiritual lives? Well, it's hard to hear God's still, small voice when we're constantly surrounded by noise—even if it's just the noise of our own anxious thoughts. Prayer becomes another item on the checklist. Bible reading becomes a rushed obligation. Church becomes yet another commitment in an already overscheduled week.
As one Gen X pastor told me, "I see it in my congregation all the time. People who genuinely love God but treat their relationship with Him like it's another productivity metric to optimize."
Ouch. That hits close to home, doesn't it?
The Great Gen X Contradiction
Here's where it gets really interesting. For all our busyness, we Gen Xers actually value authenticity and meaningful connection more than most generations. We're the ones who grew up on John Hughes movies that celebrated the misfits and questioned the status quo. We embraced grunge music that rejected superficiality and materialism.
We roll our eyes at corporate speak and performative social media posts. We can spot inauthenticity from a mile away. "Whatever" wasn't just our generation's catchphrase—it was our rebellion against expectations that didn't align with what truly mattered.
Yet here we are, trapped in lifestyles that often don't reflect our deepest values.
We say family comes first, but work emails get answered before our kids' questions.
We say faith is foundational, but our prayer lives are the first casualty of our busy schedules.
We say relationships matter most, but we're too exhausted to nurture them properly.
This disconnect between what we value and how we live is a major source of our burnout. It's not just that we're doing too much—it's that deep down, we know we're often doing too much of the wrong things.
Permission to Rest: What Would Jesus Do?
Let's consider Jesus for a moment. If anyone had reason to be busy, it was Him. The guy had just three years of public ministry to save humanity. Talk about a deadline!
Yet the Gospels repeatedly show Jesus withdrawing to solitary places to pray. They show Him sleeping in a boat during a storm (peak Gen X energy there, honestly). They show Him taking time for meals with friends, for conversations that seemingly weren't "productive" in the conventional sense.
Jesus modeled a life that was purposeful but not frantic. He accomplished His mission without sacrificing relationships or personal well-being along the way.
So maybe—just maybe—our constant busyness isn't actually the badge of honor we've made it out to be. Maybe it's not even particularly Christ-like.
This is where faith offers Gen X a revolutionary perspective: You have permission to rest. Not just permission—you have a divine mandate to rest. The God of the universe isn't impressed by your jam-packed schedule or your ability to function on five hours of sleep. He's actually commanded you to stop, to pause, to breathe.
And here's the really radical part: Your worth isn't tied to your productivity. In God's economy, you're valuable simply because you're His creation, made in His image. Not because of what you accomplish or how efficient you are at accomplishing it.
That's a message Gen X desperately needs to hear.
Practical Steps for the Perpetually Exhausted
So how do we—the generation that prides itself on pushing through—learn to embrace rest as a spiritual practice rather than a sign of weakness? Here are some practical steps:
1. Start Small
If the idea of a full Sabbath day seems impossible right now, start with Sabbath moments. Build small pauses into your day—five minutes of silence before checking your phone in the morning, a actual lunch break away from your desk, ten minutes of prayer or meditation before bed.
As one Gen X mom told me, "I started with just five minutes of silence in my car before going into the house after work. Those five minutes helped me transition from work mode to mom mode, and eventually I started looking forward to them as my time with God."
2. Set Boundaries (And Actually Stick to Them)
We're the generation that saw the introduction of the BlackBerry—the not-so-affectionately nicknamed "CrackBerry" because of its addictive pull. We've been conditioned to be always available, but that doesn't mean we have to stay that way.
Set specific work hours and communicate them clearly. Turn off notifications during family time. Don't check email first thing in the morning or last thing at night. These boundaries aren't selfish—they're stewardship of your mental, emotional, and spiritual resources.
3. Redefine Success
What if success isn't measured by productivity but by faithfulness? What if a successful day isn't one where you checked off every item on your to-do list, but one where you were present with the people God has placed in your life?
This shift in perspective takes time, especially for our achievement-oriented generation. But it's transformative when it happens.
4. Find Your Rhythm
God created the world with rhythms—day and night, seasons, tides. Our bodies have rhythms too—our heartbeats, our breath, our sleep cycles. What if we saw rest not as an interruption to productivity but as an essential part of the rhythm of a well-lived life?
Experiment with different patterns until you find what works for you. Maybe it's a traditional Sunday Sabbath. Maybe it's a different day of the week. Maybe it's an evening routine that signals to your body and spirit that work is done for the day.
5. Practice Saying No
Gen X grew up with "Just Say No" anti-drug campaigns, but many of us need to apply this slogan to our calendars instead. Every time you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else. Choose wisely.
As one Gen X pastor put it: "Jesus was perfect, and even He didn't meet everyone's expectations or heal every sick person in Israel. What makes you think you can do it all?"
6. Find Rest Partners
Rest is counter-cultural, which means it's hard to do alone. Find friends, family members, or a small group from church who share your desire to live at a more sustainable pace. Hold each other accountable. Share what's working and what isn't.
One Gen X couple I know has a standing date night where they review their calendar for the coming month and help each other identify when they're overcommitting. They described it as "marriage-saving and sanity-saving."
7. Embrace the Spiritual Discipline of Rest
Rest isn't just about physical recovery—it's a spiritual practice that reminds us of our dependence on God. When we rest, we acknowledge that the world will continue to spin without our constant input. We recognize that God is God, and we are not.
Try framing your rest as an act of worship rather than an indulgence. Pray before you rest. Thank God for the gift of limits. Listen for His voice in the quiet spaces.
The Midlife Opportunity
Many of us Gen Xers are in what could be called "middle age" (though we'd probably prefer you didn't call it that to our faces). Midlife is often portrayed as a time of crisis—of sports cars, questionable fashion choices, and existential dread.
But what if midlife is actually an opportunity? An invitation to reassess, to course-correct, to align our lives more closely with what truly matters?
We have the benefit of enough life experience to know what doesn't work, but enough road ahead to make meaningful changes. We've seen the consequences of burnout in our own lives and in the lives of friends and colleagues. We've witnessed marriages strain under the weight of constant busyness, health problems exacerbated by stress, faith reduced to a series of checkboxes.
But we've also accumulated wisdom. We know ourselves better than we did in our twenties. We have a clearer sense of our values and priorities. And for those of us walking with faith, we have a deeper understanding of God's grace and provision.
This is our moment to model a different way—not just for ourselves, but for the generations watching us. Our Millennial colleagues who are already burning out faster than we did. Our Gen Z children who are growing up in an even more connected, demanding world than the one we navigated.
What if Gen X became known not just as the generation that worked hard, but as the generation that rediscovered the sacred rhythm of work and rest? What if our legacy was teaching the world how to be both productive and present, ambitious and attentive to what matters most?
Rest as Resistance
In our achievement-oriented culture, choosing rest is actually a form of resistance. It's a declaration that your worth isn't determined by your output. It's a statement that relationships matter more than results. It's an acknowledgment that your body, mind, and spirit have God-given limits that deserve respect.
For people of faith, it's also an act of trust. When we choose to rest, we're essentially saying, "God, I trust that You'll take care of the things I'm setting down for now."
That's not easy for our self-reliant generation. We like being in control. We take pride in our ability to handle everything ourselves. Choosing rest means choosing vulnerability, choosing to acknowledge our limitations, choosing to depend on God and others.
But there's freedom in that vulnerability. There's peace in that dependence. There's joy in living within the rhythms God designed for human flourishing.
A Personal Note
I'll be honest—I'm writing this as much for myself as for you. As a Gen X Christian who has burned the candle at both ends (and occasionally in the middle), I struggle with rest. I've had seasons where my faith was vibrant and seasons where it was reduced to going through the motions because I was simply too exhausted for anything more.
I've experienced the consequences of ignoring God's command to rest—in my health, my relationships, and my spiritual life. I've also experienced the restoration that comes when I finally surrender to the rhythm of rest that God designed.
It's a journey, not a destination. Some weeks are better than others. Some seasons require more intentionality than others. But I'm convinced that learning to rest well is one of the most important spiritual practices for our generation.
Your Turn: From Burnout to Balance
So where do you stand on this journey? Are you running on fumes, wondering how long you can maintain your current pace? Are you somewhere in the middle, knowing you need more rest but not sure how to make it happen? Or have you found rhythms that work for you, that honor both your responsibilities and your limitations?
Wherever you are, know that you're not alone. Gen X may be the "forgotten middle child" of generations, but we're in this together. And more importantly, the God who commanded rest is with us, offering grace for our striving and peace for our exhaustion.
Here's my challenge to you: Take one small step toward better rest this week. Maybe it's blocking out an evening with no plans except to be present with your family. Maybe it's committing to a Sabbath practice, even if it's just for a few hours. Maybe it's having an honest conversation with your spouse or a close friend about how burnout is affecting your life and faith.
Whatever that step is, take it with the confidence that you're not being self-indulgent—you're being obedient to God's design for human flourishing. You're acknowledging your humanity. You're creating space to be the person God created you to be, not just the worker/parent/spouse/friend that everyone expects you to be.
And in that space, you might just find that your faith deepens, your relationships strengthen, and your soul breathes again.
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Has this struck a chord with you? I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. How do you struggle with rest as a Gen Xer? What practices have helped you find balance? Connect with us on social media:
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Remember, Gen X: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Jesus said it, and He meant it—even for those of us who grew up thinking rest was for the weak. Turns out, it's actually for the wise.