Finding Rest – Day 13

I don’t do well at resting.  It isn’t easy for me and doesn’t come naturally.  When I rest, I have to fight the urge to feel guilty.  I am a doer.  So to think about simply “to be” is a challenge.  I often think about how we are called human beings, not human doers.  But I enjoy accomplishing goals.  I enjoy the outcome from hard work.  But I know I am better when I rest.  I understand I only give my best when I rest.

I think this most becomes apparent to me when I read the scripture in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 6, “³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. ³¹ He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. ³² And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.”

Here’s what I pick up from this.  The apostles are excited about their accomplishments.  They have done work for the kingdom.  They have achieved many of the goals set.  God had been with them, just as Jesus had sent them.  They were doing great things.  Jesus tells them it is now time to find peace and rest.  They are to go by themselves and just rest.  They had been so busy, they hadn’t eaten (I’ve got to be REAL busy to miss a meal).  But they didn’t have time, things needed to be done.  There was only a limited amount of time to get so much done.  But Jesus didn’t tell them to keep going.  Jesus told them to go by themselves and rest.  

I hear Jesus telling us the same thing.  When we’ve done our best, when we’ve given our all, when we have put everything we have into something, rest.  Find a place and rest.  Find time to be alone and rest.  These were instructions from Jesus to his apostles.  These are instructions for us as well, I believe.  May you find time to do just that – rest.  

Blessings my friends as you seek the place and time to simply rest.