Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31
Going into this week I knew that it would be busy with obligations to family, friends and to you as readers. I’m also trying to get yard work done early so that I don’t get so far behind that I wear myself out trying to get it all done before I do some traveling or get so stressed that I inflict stress on my wife. In fact, I had so many tasks on my mind that I forgot that I was supposed to get my grandsons off of the bus Monday. (They were safe as their parents have great neighbors; their parents kindly extended gracious forgiveness to me.) There was no room in this week for allergies, a sinus infection, a cold or whatever I have come down with. I already struggle with my normal health concerns and I just don’t need another layer of illness, but there it is and I’ve been battling it for three days. Even worse, when I thought it was getting better, I decided to work in the garden for an hour or so. It was probably not the wisest choice as I have asthma and am allergic to dust, pollen and grass. The point is that I didn’t listen to my body and tried to do everything…now I’m falling short and this isn’t the post that I started working on.
By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Genesis 2:2
As reflected in the verse above, the concept of rest is God ordained and has been so since the beginning of time. God worked and He rested. Mark 6:31 shows Christ’s concern and compassion for His disciples as He takes them away from the crowds so that they can rest. Sometimes we need to pull away and take a respite. The need may be due to fatigue as in the case of the disciples, it may be spiritual as Christ exemplified when He went to pray alone, it may be to allow time to mourn, or it may be to recover mentally. Whatever the need, it is real and should be satisfied without guilt.
Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise. Proverbs 6:6
I have been battling this passage since I was a kid. While I believe it to be a wise warning, I also believe that we need to rest as needed. Since childhood, if I had a task or project that I wanted to complete, I would stop for nothing…including food or rest. My junior year in High School I nearly passed out during the graduation ceremonies as I had been working on the yearbook all day and hadn’t bothered to get enough food in my body to sustain me through the evening. While we must fulfill the tasks to which we’re called, we must also care for the bodies that God has given us so that we may do our best. Therefore, there is a time for work and there is a time for rest…discernment is knowing the difference so that we avoid both laziness and physical or emotional harm.
Case Study
Here I stand before you as a case study. I have a busy schedule and illness so here are the things that I have chosen. I have made commitments; they will be fulfilled to the best of my ability. As the post that I wanted to share will take more work and study to be completed in a godly and faithful fashion, it will be on hold…hopefully next week’s post. This post is both timely and efficient…it will be without frills. Other opportunities for service and mercy that I would sincerely like to help with, I must decline without guilt. That is not my natural bent, but a skill that I have had to learn and don’t do well. We cannot be all things to all people all of the time. God didn’t call us to that and we must avoid allowing ourselves to fall into that trap or to be guilted into it by those who want something from us.