Everyone needs a chance to relax, recharge, and renew their energy and focus. This weekend my wife and I celebrated our anniversary with a 9 hour road trip, there and back again. Vacation is good for the soul, but it’s hard on the back.
Photo Source: www.creationswap.com by Jason Harper
Even Jesus took the time to get away, to escape from the crowds, to retreat and reset. Numerous times the gospel writers recount Jesus going away, up to the mountain, or across the sea, or to a garden to pray. He needed that time away to help him stay focused on what he was suppose to be doing.
We all need it. And we probably all don’t do it often enough. I’m not saying every weekend needs to be a trip to Disney World or a Caribbean cruise. We don’t need time away that is so packed and stressful that we need three days when we get back just to recover from our vacation.
What I’m suggesting is just that we take the time we need to rest. Make sure you aren’t working seven days a week for weeks on end. After all, even God rested after six days of work. He left us that as an example of how we should live. He knew that we physically and emotionally need that time.
I was so glad to get away and spend a long weekend with family. We made some great memories, reconnected, and refocused during this time. But before we know it the busy holiday season will be upon us, and we will all be going non-stop. I’ve got a lot of personal and family goals to achieve before the end of the year.
So as you focus on your work, your home life, your ministry, or whatever it is that pulls you during the week, take a lesson from Jesus. Take time to relax and distance yourself, even if it’s for a few hours. God knows we need rest… even if it’s a four day weekend nine hours away.