Corporatology: Prologue

The Gospel of Grind

“The most dangerous exhaustion is the kind that masquerades as achievement.” — Manny Arango

Corporate America has its own gospel.
It preaches early mornings, late nights, and just one more email.
It's the sanctification of schedules, Slack messages, meetings, and working lunches.
It baptizes burnout as ambition.
It calls exhaustion excellence.

And we frickin' believe it.
We put [false] hope in it.
We tithe our time to it — our peace, our health, our families.
Our blood, sweat, and tears mix the mortar.

We memorize its creeds:
Hustle harder. Never settle. Sleep when you’re dead.

And we call it purpose.

But it’s not a gospel.
It’s a golden calf in a glass office.
And the grind is its altar.

I’ve worn exhaustion like proof of devotion —
(that coveted, evershimmery badge of honor.)
If I was tired, it meant I cared.
If I was drained, it meant I was doing something right.

Until I realized — the grind doesn’t reward loyalty; it replaces it.

The Gospel of Grind Sounds Like:

• “I’ll rest when this project ends.”
• “They need me.”
• “It’s just a busy season.” (It’s been eleventy-five years.)
• “If I slow down, I’ll fall behind.”
• “At least I’m indispensable.”

The gospel of grind teaches that worth must be earned. That your time belongs to the machine. That hustle is holy, and stillness is sin.

But the real Gospel — the one that heals — says otherwise:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

Jesus never asked us to burn out proving our worth.
He already calls us worthy.
He already finished the work.

So if you’re tired — If your soul feels like it’s logged too many allthelivelongday hours —
You’re not failing. You’re finally waking up.

You can walk away from the altar of grind. The kingdom doesn’t need your exhaustion. It needs your heart awake.

Field Note

I used to think the grind was proof that I was chosen, that God called me to keep going no matter how much it cost me. But I’ve learned that sometimes the holiest thing you can do is close the laptop, silence the notifications, and let yourself rest.
Because exhaustion doesn’t anoint us — obedience does.

Reconcile the Expense

• $1 trillion is lost globally each year due to depression and anxiety tied to poor work conditions (World Health Organization).
• 83% of U.S. employees report work-related stress; 76% say job stress affects personal relationships (flair.hr).
• 71% of Gen Z and 59% of Millennials report unhealthy work–health scores (Mental Health America).

So how the heck do we surrender to His cure… 

The Gospel Cure — A Scriptural Unlearning

A Checklist for the Recovering Hustler

⬜ 1. Remember: Rest Is a Command, Not a Reward

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” — Exodus 20
Rest isn’t earned.
It’s obedience.
It’s worship.
It’s resistance against the tyranny of productivity.

⬜ 2. Trade Anxiety for Trust

“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46
Stillness isn’t laziness.
Stillness is knowing Who’s actually in control — and who’s not.

⬜ 3. Stop Carrying What Jesus Already Carried

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” — 1 Peter 5:7
We weren’t built for the weight we keep calling “capacity.”

⬜ 4. Refuse a Yoke God Didn’t Put on You

“My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:30
If the burden is crushing us, it didn’t come from Him.

⬜ 5. Let God Define Your Worth — Not Your Work

“You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” — Psalm 139:14
Our identities were complete long before any dang résumé existed.

⬜ 6. Practice Holy Boundaries

“Above all else, guard your heart.” — Proverbs 4:23
Guard that peace.
Guard that time.
Guard that yes.
Boundariesboundariesboundaries - hold the line.
Heaven doesn't even ask us to be accessible 24/7.

⬜ 7. Return to a Human Pace

“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.” — Psalm 23:2
If our lives have no green pastures, no quiet waters, no space to breathe — we're following deadlines, not the Shepherd.

⬜ 8. Worship Through Work — Don’t Worship Work

“Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.” — 1 Corinthians 10:31
Work is a place to honor God, not to replace Him.

⬜ 9. Let Peace Be the Proof

“The peace of God… will guard your hearts and minds.” — Philippians 4:7
If our work steals our peace, the Gospel Cure restores it.
Peace is the fruit of spiritual alignment — the KPI of a heart led by Him.

⬜ 10. Remember Who Holds The Future

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” — Proverbs 3:6
We don’t have to grind our way into our calling.
God opens [full and wide] the doors we're meant to walk through.

Lessons Learned

Looking back, I can see that my oh-so-hard(core) drive toward overachievement was never just ambition — it was protection. I stayed busy because slowing down felt like risking rejection, and I used being “good at this” as proof that I belonged.
But the grind eventually collected its dues. My health slipped, my evenings disappeared into exhaustion, and I wasn’t fully present with my family. Most of my relationships stayed surface-level because I didn’t have the capacity for anything deeper.

Stepping out of that cycle has made the truth unmistakable: being good at something isn’t the same as being called to it. My worth never hinged on output, and success was never meant to come at the cost of my peace or presence.

Now I’m clearer, more content, more grounded. I have joy in the ordinary again, and I can hear God without the noise of overperformance drowning Him out.
The root lie — “I’m good at this” — doesn’t run my life anymore.
Calling is no longer defined by exhaustion.

I’m learning that I don’t have to sacrifice myself just because I’m good at something — I’m allowed to pause; I'm allowed to choose peace, presence, and the life God is actually inviting me into.

I can come to Him with my wearied, busted-down, threadbare heart.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

Internal Review

1. What fear sits underneath your overachieving?
2. What has your hustle cost you - peace, health, relationships, God’s nearness?
3. Where have you confused being needed with being known?
4. What would rest look like as a rhythm, not a reward?
5. Where is God inviting you to slow down and trust Him with the (peace and) pace of your life?

Action Items

Take one small step this week to break agreement with the grind.
Choose one moment to pause — intentionally, prayerfully — and let yourself breathe without earning it.
Turn off the noise for a few minutes, ask God where He wants to bring rest back into your life.
Give yourself permission to listen.

You don’t have to fix everything today. You just have to stop long enough to remember you were never meant to carry it alone.

He never leaves us, and neverever, goshdarnever forsakes us. 🤍