And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.”
Mark 6:31 NASB
For several years, I have taken an annual personal retreat – to catch up on sleep, spend quality time with God, and plan for the following year’s ministry projects for my work. At times, I am able to combine a work trip with a one-day retreat by myself in a nearby area, but at least once a year I take several days off work to be alone with God. I choose a different location each year – within a half-day’s drive from my home – to sample various natural settings: mountains, forest, botanical gardens, or the ocean. In each place, God speaks His love to me through His second book and shares His plan for me. In only a day or two I feel like a new person and am ready to tackle projects that, before my retreat, seemed like too much work to even think about.
I know several super-busy women who take regular spiritual alone time. One takes one day a month to visit an especially beautiful garden, where she is revived by communing with God and nature. Another friend takes a day or two each quarter, walking woodland trails and talking with God. Other women stay home and each day, while their children are napping, retreat to closets they have repurposed with relaxing pillows, soft light, and music.
Often women feel guilty taking time for themselves. Satan whispers that there’s work to do. It would be sinful to rest before it’s done, right? Consider this: None of us has a busier schedule than Jesus did. He had just three and a half years to accomplish the most important mission ever undertaken. Satan bombarded Him with every possible roadblock and temptation to prevent Him from completing His task. Though He didn’t waste a minute, He repeatedly took time, the Bible records, to rest and pray. He also encouraged His disciples to rest and rejuvenate.
Our Creator knew that taking time to regenerate isn’t wasting time; it’s essential to our physical and spiritual well-being. The One who loves each of us with an everlasting love knows that a change of pace is therapeutic, especially when coupled with communion with Him. The busier you are, the more you need “me time.” Jesus invites you to rest a while with Him.
If you ask Him. He will show you how to find regular time to be revived by Him. Why not accept His invitation?
From Notes of Joy, Copyright©2017 by Pacific Press Publishing Association