Rest and Retreat
"How are you doing? How's life?"
"Busy!"
"Well, that's good!"
"Yep! Wouldn't have it any other way."
How often do we have or hear conversations like this? Busy is the norm. It's a status symbol for some. Busy isn't bad. Sometimes that's just how life is. But I wonder if sometimes, in our busyness, we miss God's invitation to come close... to be restored and renewed. Maybe you've heard the words of Jesus when he invites his friends to,
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” — Mark 6:31 (NIV)
This verse comes at a busy time for Jesus and his disciples. There were a lot of demands and work to be done. But Jesus, right in the middle of all this busyness, said to his friends, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
In our journey with grief (or whatever else we are dealing with), we are often surrounded by people, demands, and activity. Sometimes it's overwhelming. We can barely see straight, much less make one more phone call or do one more task, no matter how outwardly simple it may seem. I wonder if the invitation for us in such times might be the same as that which Jesus made to his friends so long ago.
REST
To rest means to “allow oneself to be inactive in order to regain strength, health, or energy.” Sometimes that’s all we need. We need to stop long enough to catch our breath. We need a break from the to-do list, advice, and well-intentioned people to regain our strength and energy.
Rest also means to “place hope, trust, or confidence on or in something or someone.” As in, “she rested her hopes in her car to get her safely to and from work.” In our journey with grief, we need something to ground us; something in which we can place our trust and confidence, and hope.
Rest is essential in our grief.
Rest is essential, period!
But how do we find rest?
RETREAT
Notice what Jesus says to his friends. He says, “Come… to a quiet place.” That is the very definition of retreat. To find rest, sometimes we must physically remove ourselves from what has us so busy. We must stop and remove ourselves from the noise, tasks, and to-do lists. There will always be one more thing we must do, but many of those things would benefit from a restored and refreshed you!
The other part of Jesus' invitation to retreat is this: He says, “Come with me…” The kind of rest that truly restores, refreshes, and renews can be found with Jesus, who accompanies us on the journey. This is where we find rest that restores our hope, trust, and faith.
We don’t need people to evangelize or push religion on us. That’s not restful. But we need people to create and hold space for us to rest, reflect, and pray.
That's a big reason for my work as a writer, musician, chaplain, and pastor. It’s an honor to be on the journey with you.