Take a moment...
Life sends us plenty of stress. If we let it, stress can control our every minute. But we don’t have to let it. We can all take a moment to breathe… to reflect… to rest.
Someone once said that life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans. And it’s so often true. Life does have a way of flying by so fast we hardly notice it. One moment we’re young, the next we’re old. And we finally wonder, “Where did all that time go?”
That’s why, from time to time, we all need a break from the mad rush to “stop and smell the roses,” as the wise old saying goes.
Life sends plenty of stress our way from every direction, it seems. And, if we let it, that stress can take control of every minute of the day. But we don’t have to let it. We can all take a moment to breathe… to reflect… to rest. To step away from the tyranny of the urgent. To take a break before something breaks in us, physically, mentally or spiritually.
Jesus was no different. As one of us he needed time to rest too. Time away from the crowd and the hectic pace. Time for some solitude, time to spend with his Father, to pray, to reflect on who he was, and what his life was all about and what was important for him and others.
In Mark 7:24, for example, Mark wrote, “Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.” Jesus often went up onto a mountain to escape the crowds so he would have time to be alone and pray.
Luke tells us, “Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles” (Luke 6:12-13). Jesus took time to be alone with God before making these important decisions about choosing the 12 apostles.
When do you take a moment to recharge your batteries? Or do you? Like a sluggish computer or mobile phone that needs a reboot, you and I need to “reboot” once in a while, too.
Why not take a lesson from Jesus and find a discreet, pleasant place, away from the crowd and the incessant clamor of the day, computers, phone calls, texts, to do lists, cluttered workplaces, where you might be able to spend a few minutes each day in quiet conversation with God? That might not be possible during the workday itself, but what about afterward? Maybe in place of TV shows and loud commercials for a half hour or so.
Just some time when you and God can be alone together: time to listen to him, rest in him, and let him refresh you and recharge you. “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him” says Psalm 62:1.
You won’t realize how good that rest can be until you try it. And when you know the benefits, make it a habit, and help make it easy for others in your life to do the same!
Dr Joseph Tkach,
GCI USA President and Pastor General
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