Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!" Mark 1:35-37
When life comes at you like a freight train - full speed ahead - it's all you can do to hang on tight. There's barely time to think, no warning, no preparing or packing a bag - only time to react and latch onto whatever is in front of you until the train stops.
The unexpected happens all the time - life and death - but when they couple themselves together and come one after the other, our minds can't catch up with our hearts. In every crisis, whether good or bad, there's always stuff to be done - responsibilities and loose ends to tie up - for those holding up the arms of loved ones.
And when that freight train comes to a screeching halt - even for a brief moment - we find ourselves disheveled, speechless, utterly weary and maybe even a bit numb. We feel neither joy nor sorrow because we've been so busy caring for others that we pushed our own emotions aside. All we want is solace. Quiet. Retreat.
Isn't that exactly what Jesus felt?
(Join me at Encouragement Cafe or Crosswalk for the rest of the story, won't you?)
My fondest fantasy is that I can hit the pause button on life. Everyone and everything just stops and I am free to putter (or not) as I see fit and it will stay this way until I am ready to un-pause it all once again. No choices about what to do with precious limited time... do I read or sleep(!), or sew or try to learn to knit, as there would be enough time to do it all until I was ready to face the world again. I always thought such a fantasy was pretty selfish (the whole world in suspended animation just so I can get a little peace)(not that it being selfish or not keeps me from dreaming!)... but if even Jesus yearned for solitude, maybe it's okay :-)
ReplyDeletePausing while raising little ones is most difficult. And then, when they're grown and you find yourself with more free time, you fight the guilt of spending time on your own pleasures. It's when we learn that the time spent retreating in God's presence and dabbling in those God-planted pleasures, we find He restores us completely and we're then able to give to others from a full heart.
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