Come away to a quiet place: Being responsible by going on retreat
Mark 6 details how Jesus took his disciples on a retreat.
6:30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.
6:31 He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while."
For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
6:32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
Apparantly, Jesus saw that the disciples were as busy as Martha in her kitchen in Luke 10 and offered them a needed respite so that they could rest, recharge, and reflect on their work so that they wouldn't just be going through the motions. Perhaps Jesus saw that, like Martha, the disciples were "distracted by [their] many tasks." He invites them to sit at his feet and rest and listen, as Mary did in Luke 10.
Taking time to be in God's loving presence and to evaluate our relationship with God and other people and to reflect on the talents and gifts we have been given and how best to put them to use for the sake of the kingdom is time well spent. Yes, some things might have to wait a bit and some things which seem rather important to us may have to be dispensed with all together. But by being rested and by having our work be informed by spirit, the things we do will be meaningful and will be carried out with purpose. As professional basketball palyers can attest, by taking time to aim for the goal rather than just trying to slop the ball into the basket, they have a much greater chance of hitting the mark. In the same way, by taking time to rest and reflect on God and God's purpose for our lives, we insure that our kingdom work has a greater likelihood of pleasing God and hitting the mark.
Jesus himself frequently went away to pray and to seek God's counsel in order to be sure that his ministry was in line with God's aims for his time on earth. If the Son of God needs time apart, who are we to soldier on and deny ourselves the opportunity to rest and to be grounded and centered in God?
Although taking time off from our daily tasks may seem to us a bit irresponsible, Jesus invites us to rest and reflect so that we can be rested and informed participants in God's ministry, rather than Christian hamsters running on the wheel.
6:30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught.
6:31 He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while."
For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
6:32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
Apparantly, Jesus saw that the disciples were as busy as Martha in her kitchen in Luke 10 and offered them a needed respite so that they could rest, recharge, and reflect on their work so that they wouldn't just be going through the motions. Perhaps Jesus saw that, like Martha, the disciples were "distracted by [their] many tasks." He invites them to sit at his feet and rest and listen, as Mary did in Luke 10.
Taking time to be in God's loving presence and to evaluate our relationship with God and other people and to reflect on the talents and gifts we have been given and how best to put them to use for the sake of the kingdom is time well spent. Yes, some things might have to wait a bit and some things which seem rather important to us may have to be dispensed with all together. But by being rested and by having our work be informed by spirit, the things we do will be meaningful and will be carried out with purpose. As professional basketball palyers can attest, by taking time to aim for the goal rather than just trying to slop the ball into the basket, they have a much greater chance of hitting the mark. In the same way, by taking time to rest and reflect on God and God's purpose for our lives, we insure that our kingdom work has a greater likelihood of pleasing God and hitting the mark.
Jesus himself frequently went away to pray and to seek God's counsel in order to be sure that his ministry was in line with God's aims for his time on earth. If the Son of God needs time apart, who are we to soldier on and deny ourselves the opportunity to rest and to be grounded and centered in God?
Although taking time off from our daily tasks may seem to us a bit irresponsible, Jesus invites us to rest and reflect so that we can be rested and informed participants in God's ministry, rather than Christian hamsters running on the wheel.
posted by Frank at 11:43 AM
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