I’m feeling really tired today and don’t think I’m the only one. The past few months have been really draining for many reasons and are starting to catch up to me. While doing some reading on the topic of tiredness I came across this account in Mark 6:
7 He summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs and gave them authority over unclean spirits. 8 He instructed them to take nothing for the road except a staff—no bread, no traveling bag, no money in their belts, 9 but to wear sandals and not put on an extra shirt. 10 He said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. 11 If any place does not welcome you or listen to you, when you leave there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons, anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. 30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
You can imagine the busyness of ministry the disciples must have faced after being sent out by Jesus. After this time of intense ministry the disciples then reported on everything they had done and taught in this time. Jesus’ response really stood out to me: “Come away to a remote place and rest for a while.” Jesus recognized that His disciples were tired and told them that they needed some time to rest away from the context of their work. This is a much needed reminder of the fact that we all need rest. We simply can’t keep working without it or our bodies will start to give up eventually. I really enjoyed these words from GotQuestions on this topic:
“God desires rest for us because it does not come naturally to us. To rest, we have to trust that God will take care of things for us. We have to trust that, if we take a day off, the world will not stop turning on its axis. From the beginning (Genesis 3), when we decided that we would start making all the decisions, mankind has become more tense and less able to relax. It was disobedience in the Garden that started the problem, but obedience now will bring the rest that God so desires for us (Hebrews 3:7 – 4:11). If one of the definitions of “relax” is “to become less firm,” then relaxing our grip on our own lives, careers, families, etc., and giving them over to God in faith is the best way to relax.”
If you are feeling tired at the moment I urge you to prioritize rest for a period of time which God desires for you. Trust him with what has got you so busy at the moment and take the time to allow yourself to rest and relax. While this may look different in our current context it’s important that we are creative in finding ways for this to still happen.
Much love,
Luke
I have done nothing but rest but I still feel like I need a rest from covid 19. It’s all around, inhabiting my phone, my thoughts and my plans. I spent an afternoon a few days ago chopping down some stuff in my garden and found that for 2 or 3 hours I forgot about covid. It was so refreshing.