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 6:31, NIV

Each school year feels like a cross-country race. Or more accurately, it feels like a marathon. And just like running a race, if we don’t rest in a disciplined manner and pace ourselves, then we will be burned out and not perform our best.

Pacing and rest have long been a part of God’s plan for His people.

In the old Mosaic law, God instructed the farmers to take every seventh year off to let the land rest. He instructed them not to sow their fields and not to prune their vineyards. He told them that whatever the land yielded during that year was to be the food for them and their animals. Wow! How much courage and faith would that take?

One of the Ten Commandments instructs us to take a day of rest each week to worship God. The Israelites were instructed not to light fires in their homes or harvest in their fields on this day of rest.

Jesus told His disciples to come to Him and He would give them rest. When His disciples were so busy that they were skipping meals, He told them to come with Him alone to a quiet place and get some rest.

Have we been missing our days and seasons of rest? Do we trust God and have enough faith to let go of our agendas and start following His? Do we have the courage to rest as God asks?

Lord, give us the courage to find that quiet place and rest with You. Amen.

Copyright Don Clark.

Don has been a remarkable leader for Christian Educators, building a network of LIFT groups in nearly 30 schools in the Houston area, hosting transformative events, building a leadership team, and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years to support Christian Educators and numerous other causes.