When Jesus
told his disciples to come away with him to escape the demanding crowds, he
wasn’t looking for just a time to regroup and then return to the chaos. (Mark
6:30-32) He was emphasizing the need to get some rest, to be distracted from
the needs of the world and focus upon the emotional, relational, physical, and
spiritual needs every human being has. Their mission work had depleted them of
the energy they needed to continue in Kingdom work.
Those
disciples needed rest. They hadn’t done hard farm work or spent 72 straight
hours pulling nets filled with fish. They had just returned from preaching the
gospel, healing the sick, and casting out demons. (Mark 6:12-13) The work of
the Kingdom of God is greater than human strength alone can support. Even with
the help of the Holy Spirit, exhaustion can be the result of faithful service.
Such was the case for the disciples. Jesus told them, “Come away… and rest a
while.”
We do ourselves
a great disservice when we do not do the same. Physically we need sleep. Our
bodies need to turn off and let cells cleanse themselves. Our brains need to
have time to recalculate everything they absorbed during the waking hours,
holding some details in easy access and sending others into the deeper
subconscious. Minds can refocus on priorities and options allowing for clearer
thinking and well thought out resolutions. Our emotions need times when peace
is dominant and hormones can reestablish equilibrium.
At times of
such peace and rest God may well have the best chance to break into our private
world, get our attention, and share something with us we had been too busy to
hear. Jesus told his disciples to come away with him after a prolonged period
of work. They needed a change of pace, a change of scenery, a chance to think
without pressure, and a chance to recharge their batteries. To ignore the need
was to lessen their ability to serve their Master.
We don’t
have to use our imaginations much to see what happens when we don’t take time
to get away. On the mild end of the spectrum we fall asleep at work or worse
yet while driving. We get grumpy and carry a short fuse on our tempers. Our
response time shortens and we become more prone to accidents. As our situation
moves toward the extreme, our immune system weakens and we become more
susceptible to illness.
I doubt very
much if it is unique to ministers, but in our vocation we call one result of a lack
of rest, “burnout”. Enthusiasm is gone. Creativity is gone. Energy is gone. Any
desire to participate is gone. The individual is left an emotional shell. Too
many emotional battles and too many broken dreams leave the worker with no
desire to work. This goes far beyond a mood or passing state. This person
simply has nothing to give and there is nothing left in the inner reservoir.
Jesus told
his disciples to come away and rest a while. He knew their human strength was
limited. He knew there was a lot of road ahead still to be traveled. As the old
saying goes, if they did not come apart, they were bound to fall apart.
We need to
get away on a regular basis. The easiest way is to get adequate sleep. Even
Shakespeare wrote that into his plays, “Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave
of care.” (Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 2) Another way is to schedule down times on a
regular basis when personal interests take precedence over business.
On a
periodic basis get a change in scenery if only for a few hours. A one or two
night stay somewhere does not have to be at a five star hotel. More important
than the amount of time is how the time will be spent. The world of stress and
work must be left behind. There is no rest when the load is taken along. God
has to be given a chance to restore and replenish.
