Apples of Gold

This afternoon I am going to spend some quality time with one of my closest friends. Over the last several years both of us have found our schedules filling up rapidly and the spontaneous get togethers have faded into nothingness. We also found that “We should have lunch”, or “Let’s go do something fun” have not worked so well either. We have learned that we actually have to pull out our calendars and pick a day-this one was scheduled weeks ago, it took that long to find a day that worked for both of us. 

The rapid advancements in technology have created some of the issues we face. Cell phones, smart watches, even smart glasses are now basically attached to our bodies and while that gives us instant access to so much, we have also become instantly reachable by the multitudes as well.

This availability can be frustrating and is most definitely distracting. My train of thought goes off the tracks, over the side of a bridge and into the river with the constant pings and rings. I finally decided to give everyone close to me their own ringtone and cell tone. It’s my own version of call screening. The standard tones often do not merit my immediate response. I am much more likely to walk away from my current task when one of the assigned tones drifts to my ears. 

Lately I’ve found myself wondering if ADHD could be contagious. My attention span rivals that of a toddler experiencing the effect of consuming a large volume of sugar and is now bouncing off the walls. This has not been helpful in my extended personal time with the Lord. 

It seems that this is not an uncommon issue. Most of us seem to be flitting from place to place doing this and that. Often we are doing good things, important things, even ministry things. Jesus has some direction for us:

The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. Mark 6:30-32

A quiet place and a nap sounds pretty life-giving right now but I’m not sure I have time.  I am learning that I must proactively write time with the Lord into my schedule or something else will fill the space. There is always housework to do, errands to run, ministry that is urgent. Even when I schedule time distraction is frequently, and often frantically knocking at the door, trying to steal my focus from the most important thing. 

If we read on in Mark 6 we see that Jesus faced the same problem.

But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Mark 6:33-34

Sometimes our well-intentioned time of rest is delayed. In this instance Jesus and the disciples went on to miraculously feed the crowd of 5,000 men and their families. They were all hungry and exhausted and yet here we see a powerful miracle. God can work through us even when we are empty. I guess that can serve as a powerful reminder that it is God that does everything through us anyway. His work doesn’t depend on our condition at the moment. 

It is worth noting that Jesus didn’t forget about the needs of the disciples.

Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Mark 6:45

Jesus insisted that his disciples stop and take some time for self-care and he, himself, went off alone to spend with his Father. Stopping to refocus and regain perspective as well as refill our spiritual tanks is vital to our spiritual, mental and physical health. Sometimes the crowd is insistent and we need to send them away. There will always be those with immediate, serious needs reaching out for help. Temporarily delaying our rest and recovery time might be necessary but we must never allow it to disappear from our schedule altogether. 

I am learning that there are two things that must be included in my schedule if I want to function at a healthy level: Concentrated time with the Lord and time for rest and reflection. Sometimes they happen simultaneously. When I have time to rest my mind frequently turns to the Word or prayer. When I take time to pray and read I experience rest and restoration. 

Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31