In the midst of this very demanding week, something Jesus said came to mind, and it seemed to speak to me in a personal way. It was part of an interaction between Him and that specially selected group of 12 young men that He had called to follow Him. The brief episode didn’t involve any miraculous interventions or profound revelations and doesn’t appear to contain any deeply theological implications. And even though it includes Jesus’ words, His comment in this case is probably not likely to be found on anyone’s list of passages to memorize. It’s a pretty safe bet, too, that nobody ever selected this as their “life’s verse.” It actually sounds pretty ordinary, like one of those kinds of reasonable, commonplace exchanges that all of us have experienced at one time or another.
The brief episode I’m referring to took place after the disciples had just returned from one of the preaching tours the Lord had sent them on. Jesus had dispatched them in teams of two to preach the Gospel of His Kingdom and had imparted to them Divine power over demonic spirits and the ability to heal those who were sick. Upon their return, they were excitedly relating to their Rabbi all the incredible things the Spirit of God had accomplished through them. As they were reporting all these wonderful things, Jesus interjected a simple but very practical directive. Mark recorded it like this:
Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. (Mark 6:30–31 NKJV)
Sometimes even good things can get hectic and feel overwhelming. And being as much human as He was and is Divine, Jesus knew that once in a while, taking a break is more than okay. Sometimes it’s the most beneficial thing for everybody. So, in light of that, He interrupted their reporting session and basically said, “All these things are great, but it’s time for you guys to step aside for a while, take a break, and catch your breath.”
So, as I mentioned earlier, this past week has been a challenging one for us – no major crises or traumatic situations, just lots of demands and assorted commitments that were hard to juggle. It felt like Jesus’ admonition was a personal invitation for the Gallagher’s Pen team to take a brief break. That means that we’re pausing our “Ears to Hear” series for this week. And instead of picking something from our archives and doing a re-run, we’d like to encourage you to visit our web site at www.gallagherspen.com, take a look at our archives, and check out something we’ve shared earlier that you may find intriguing or stimulating. You’ll find a list of categories, subjects, and the dates each post was published in the right sidebar.
We’ll be back next week when we continue our current series – and we hope each of you will join us as we pick up our discussion on what it means to have “Ears to Hear.”
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About Ron Gallagher, Ed.S
Author, Speaker, Bible Teacher, Humorist, Satirist, Blogger ...
"Right Side Up Thinking ~ In an Upside Down World"
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Come away and rest.
May you and your wife enjoy your break and truly rest.
I will do the same after two surgical procedures.
Love & Prayers,
Yvonne
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Thank you so much, Yvonne, and may your post-surgical rest and rehab be as welcome and helpful as ours was, and is. May God bless you for taking the time to send your encouraging note, and may His presence attend all that you do and make your healing full and complete.
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We love you all so much and hope that this is a special weekend for you. It’s interesting that you posted this today because we all need to hear it. Currently, I’m under a physically enforced pause. My body has said it’s had enough and is forcing me to take a break. We are trying to get our girl to do the same despite the many pressing things required of one when one moves into a new home. Thank you so much for the godly reminder that it’s okay to take a break! Big hugs to you both! We miss you so much!
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Thank you so much for the boost of encouragement and though we’re not glad for the physical demands that make your break necessary, we’re glad you applied the wisdom that a break can sometimes represent. We love you as well and rejoice in the grace that gets us through trying times and turns weariness into another reason to praise Him for the rest He provides.
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All of us need to heed Jesus’ to “come away and rest” when we’ve had a demanding day, week, month or year, Ron. Your insight and wisdom will be missed this week, but we all know you’ll be back with a flourish when the time is right. Blessings to you and Diane!
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Thank you, Martha. I knew you’d understand but it means a lot that you responded with your characteristically gracious and encouraging reinforcement. Diane and I are taking a deep breath and enjoying the reprieve. I look forward to getting back into routines and schedules that we’re more used to and doing things that we love with less pressure and chronological tyranny. May God bless you and Danny with even more improvement in his ongoing recovery and with reminders of His presence in unexpected and unforgettable ways.
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