Read Mark 6:30-32. It’s Time To Get Away.
Jesus and his disciples had been ministering to the crowds of people separate from one another. When they later gathered together, they reported to Jesus all that they had done and taught. Jesus responded by saying, “Come away by yourself to a lonely place and rest a while.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that they didn’t even have time to eat. So they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves.
Jesus knew how important it is to do ministry because we are surrounded by lost and needy people, but he also knew how important it is to find rest and solitude from hard and draining work. He saw the need to be rejuvenated.
Ministry is so important but sometimes we get so busy that we miss a meal, or don’t get enough sleep, or push ourselves to the point of exhaustion. We even push ourselves to the point where we dread seeing another person in need. There are times when God calls us to be pushed outside our own limits in order to experience the power of God. But to think we should do this every day can cause serious breakdowns in our physical and spiritual bodies and in our mental thinking! Another word for this is BURNOUT.
The point being, we need rest and solitude. We need to be rejuvenated. At some point saying “NO” or “I have to take a break” is not an “Abomination before the Lord” even if a spiritual leader can’t believe you just said “NO” in doing the “Lord’s Work.”
Let’s get real, saying “NO” could be the best thing you ever said if it means finding rest, solitude, and being rejuvenated in the Lord. There needs to be a balance: it’s not healthy to say “YES” to everything just as it’s not healthy to say “NO” to everything. We need to be in tune with the Holy Spirit for there’s a time to allow ourselves to be pushed outside our limits, thus missing needed sleep; just as there’s a time to find a good long vacation to Hawaii! Okay, I’m just kidding about Hawaii, but we do need to get away. Who knows, maybe it will be Hawaii or maybe just a long hike on a trail no one knows about except you and God.
