Recharge Before You Get Empty
“Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.” (verse 31) Two important verses often get lumped into the account of Jesus feeding the five thousand, but I want to pause on them. When the apostles returned from teaching and healing, they were tired. Their popularity had skyrocketed. They had no time to even eat. Exhaustion was taking its toll. Jesus’ response? Rest. He didn’t wait until the crowds had left. He didn’t wait until the job was done. He looked at the crowd pressing all around them and said, ‘Let’s get out of here and rest.’
When we are about good deeds, we often convince ourselves that the work is more important. We push our health to the back burner and press on. I find myself doing this far too often. Without fail, when I refuse to rest, God makes me. Inevitably, I will come down with some sickness that leaves me bedridden for a couple of days forced rest. It is hard to walk away from our responsibilities, but we need to make time to rest. We cannot fill someone else’s cup when ours is empty.
Jesus did not view rest or time alone as a punishment. The example he gave us was to make rest important. This was the view His Father gave us when He ordained a day of rest, or Sabbath. It can be hard to say ‘no’ to important opportunities. We may feel guilty if we prioritize ourselves for a few moments, but we shouldn’t. Jesus made rest and time with God a priority. However, as we will read tomorrow and we will see at various times in his ministry, he often stepped aside from rest to help those in need. Jesus and his disciples set off to find a lonely place to rest and refuel. Unfortunately, a crowd got their first. Jesus lived with compassion. It was compassion that led him to forgo his desire to rest for an opportunity to teach.
These two verses both encourage and challenge us. Life is a balance. There are times to rest and times to press on. There are times to say ‘no’ and times that require a ‘yes’ even when we fear our schedules won’t bend. Just remember, you are important to God. He will use you and give you strength you never knew you had, but He also wants you to rest, recharge, and spend time with Him. Learn to dance the balance of life.
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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