Get Away

“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, Jesus said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.” – Mark 6:31-32

Jesus knows that one of the first steps to healthy self-care is to get away. When life gets hard, when the schedule gets packed, when relationships become intense - those are signs that it would probably be healthy to get away.

Getting away to a solitary place, like in this passage, isn’t about retreating into denial. It’s about facing reality wisely enough to recognize that you are in need of rest, reflection, and renewal. Jesus often pulled away for prayer, and when he returned he had clearer vision and the capacity to move forward with his mission. Isn’t that what you want for yourself? Well, here he is, in this passage, inning not just the disciples but YOU to “come with me by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Take some time to ponder what that might look like for you today. Perhaps it might look like:

• taking a walk by yourself this evening

• getting up early enough to go to a coffee shop before work and write in your journal about what’s going on

• setting aside 5 minutes of your lunch break to do a deep breathing prayer exercise or to listen to a worship song

• planning a social-media free day this weekend to be with real people or to read books

What is the quiet place that Jesus is inviting you to so that you can rest and recover? See if you can plan on joining him there.