“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

I’m not sure who else needs to hear these words from Jesus. I know I do. Life is busy; it is hectic and at times stressful. Oftentimes the busyness is created outside of one’s control and probably more often than not, one’s busyness is created by oneself and all the many things to which one commits.  Whatever the commitments, at the end of the day, we are busy and tired.  In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is reminding us that we need to rest. Jesus’ disciples were returning from God’s mission. They had been working tirelessly doing miraculous deeds. Instead of Jesus telling them to power through, he tells them to go with him and rest. They needed to take time with Jesus to process all that had taken place. They needed to get away from the world so Jesus could prepare them for what was next.

Jesus’ words are just as relevant for us. Jesus is requesting that we rest with him. Whatever busyness that our lives are filled with, we need to prioritize taking time to talk to Jesus, to process with Jesus and to really rest with him. Summer is a great time to slow down, go on a retreat, or block off a day to regroup with the Lord.  Let us all answer his call and “come… and rest a while.”