September 13, 2024 - Mark‬ ‭6‬:‭31‬

“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.” Mark 6:31 NLT

Jesus, we can relate with being so busy sometimes it is hard to find time to eat. So many things and people want our time and attention. Jesus, you were helping people and changing lives. How hard must it have been seeing how many lives you were able to meet, but how many more were there that needed and wanted your help that you couldn’t help. You were walking in a human body with limits. But even with seeing the needs all around you, you still made time to stop and rest. You knew the limits of your humanity and you didn’t feel the need to keep pressing forward even if it meant helping more people. We see several times through the Gospels you slipped away from the crowds and found a quiet place to rest. If you, being Jesus, saw the need for taking care of your body and spirit, how much more should we?

Help us learn how to have a healthy balance of answering the needs of life and finding quiet places to rest with you. Help us to always make that a priority in our lives, even if we need to say no to others’ needs. Show us where to say no and where we should push forward a little longer. Guide our every step and if we are pushing too hard call us away with you. Let us learn to hear that call and to always answer it. Show us things we might need to eliminate from our lives to get a healthy balance. We want to follow your example, Jesus, in all we do.

In Jesus name, amen.