Trust or Hustle?
Hustle & Trust: Running Hard, Resting Well
There’s a fine line we leaders must learn to walk: the tension between trusting God and working hard.
St. Augustine once captured it in a single sentence:
“Without God, we cannot; without us, God will not.”
It’s both/and, not either/or. We are called to trust fully in God’s sovereignty and, at the same time, give our best effort in the work He places before us.
The Trap of Hustle Without Trust
Our culture glorifies the grind. Hustle harder, push further, sleep less. We gotta 10x this thing… by Friday. And while hard work is good, hustle without trust leads to either exhaustion and burnout or a gross misunderstanding of who actually made it happen.
If everything depends on you, anxiety becomes your constant companion. You never feel like you’ve done enough—because, in truth, without God, you never can.
The Trap of Trust Without Hustle
On the other side, some people use “trusting God” as an excuse to sit back passively or do crappy work in the name of “I trust God”. Nope!
Scripture is clear: “faith without works is dead,” and God invites us into partnership where He is the managing Partner, yet we play a vital role. Just as a farmer trusts God to bring the rain yet still plows, plants, and harvests, we too must step into the fields of responsibility laid before us and WORK! Think of it this way, when we joyfully put our hand to the plow, this is you and me, with faith, saying through our hustle that we trust the One who will bring the rain.
The Importance of Tension
The Christian life isn’t about eliminating tension but embracing it.
Run hard. Give your best, pour out your effort, push toward excellence. How we say it on our Mission Staff is, STAY SHARP!
Rest well. Trust God enough to lay it down, knowing He is at work when you are not. Out-work and out-rest everyone you know.
The psalmist said it like this:
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)
Notice—building still happens. Effort is still required. But without God’s presence in it, the labor doesn’t last.
Practicing Hustle and Trust
Work as if it all depends on you. Be diligent, disciplined, and faithful in your calling.
Rest as if it all depends on God. Lay down your work, honor the Sabbath (for realz), and trust His sustaining hand.
When you run hard but rest well, you live in the rhythm God designed: six days of focused work, one day of holy rest. Hustle and trust, action and surrender.
Closing Thought
So today, hustle with passion—but trust with peace. Run your race with intensity, but rest in the assurance that God holds the finish line.
Stay Ready,
Jon