Christian Living

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Guilt was written all over my friend’s face. What, I wondered, had this gifted Bible Study leader DONE to make her look like a naughty puppy who’d just chewed up the loveseat?

“I took a nap this afternoon,” she confessed. “I should’ve been working on next week’s Bible Study.”

“Oh chill out,” someone advised. “Even Jesus rested.”

It’s true—Jesus took breaks, and encouraged others to do the same. “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6: 30-31, NIV)

Jesus was busy, as we see in Mark 1: 21-38: Jesus preaching, driving out demons, healing the sick in Capernaum, then traveling to Galilee for more of the same. Just typical times for the King of Kings, but we do read in verse 35 that Jesus got up early and went to a solitary place to pray.

Jesus took time away from the throngs, and not just occasionally. “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16, NIV) In Touchpoints for Leaders, a compilation of scripture published by Tyndale House, it says, “Jesus modeled a life balanced by involvement and withdrawal, action and reflection, mission and meditation, effort and then time for spiritual energizing.”

Some people feel guilty about making time for themselves, as if it’s the epitome of selfishness to savor a one-hour escape from the people and things that occupy so many waking moments. Yet, Jesus supported down time, perhaps because He understands the human experience and knows that R and R (rest and relaxation) is part of the antidote to the poison of stress.

The stress of everyday living can do more than make us snap, then throw the toaster out the window. The medical community has long warned us that stress contributes to a host of physical and emotional maladies. The Bible teaches that it impairs our spiritual life, as Jesus pointed out in The Parable of the Sower. “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” (Matthew 13: 22, NIV)

We should carve time for ourselves, but I’ve been the first to say there aren't enough minutes in a day to spare a few for myself. I used to think “me time” meant getting everyone out of the house so I could mop. I finally realized that one-on-one with Mr. Clean did nothing for my stress level, especially when the people I lovingly cleaned FOR traipsed right over that pine-scented floor with their muddy dirt bike boots.

How do people manage to fit themselves into their own schedules? I think it begins by realizing that there IS time to pencil ourselves in. Think of how often we make time for something! Our desk can resemble a paper avalanche, but if the boss hands us a “do or die” assignment, we do it. If our child’s baseball coach adds another night of practice, we manage to haul that future Babe Ruth to the field. We might have to shift a few things, get up a little earlier or postpone what REALLY can wait until tomorrow, but we find time when we need to.

Next, we must allow ourselves to take this new-found time. For some, it’s committing to an activity or class, while others learn to take advantage of opportunity when it arises, like actually saying “yes” when grandparents offer to babysit. I know people who work “me time” into their daily routines—books-on-tape while sitting in rush hour, or enjoying a walk during their lunch break. Lots of people follow our Lord’s example in Mark 1:35, by getting up before everyone else, and relishing some quiet time before the breakfast crowd clamors downstairs.

However we decide to make an appointment with ourselves, let’s know that we can do it guilt-free. Mind, body and soul, we need it, and it comes recommended by our Lord.

Of course, the best “me time” isn’t spent with just ourselves. It’s shared as quality “we” time— with the One who said, “I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, NIV)

Maybe that’s another reason why Jesus encourages us to hold our calls—He’s hoping we’ll make a little time for Him, too.

C. Donna G. Morton, September 2006

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