Tuesday, January 05, 2016

What do you do when the demands of your work press you to the brink of burnout? Most people don’t know what to do. In Mark 6:31-32 Jesus gave His disciples a coping strategy. It’s very simple: “Come apart with me and rest awhile.” That’s how the King James translation puts it. A good friend of mine used to say, after reading this verse: “If you don’t rest awhile, you will come apart!” The New International Version puts it this way, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Reflect on that for a moment: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Note the following from Jesus words. Always remember that you need Jesus, even to rest. Then GET ALONE by yourself. You need privacy: “A quiet place” – a secluded place, a place free from distractions. And “get some rest.” That’s a command. Here’s the coping strategy all wrapped up in one statement – turn to Jesus, get alone with Jesus in a quiet place and get some rest. Let me repeat that statement: turn to Jesus, get alone with Jesus in a quiet place and get some rest. Then notice, the very next verse reads (verse 32), “So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.” That’s about as quick and complete of an obedience you’ll find in the Bible. This is not finding time for rest. This is making it. No ifs, ands, or buts. If the demands of your life are pressing down hard on you, follow Christ’s coping strategy as soon as possible: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”