Dear one,
Even though I “slept-in” a little this morning—being a “good American,” I fill my days and calendar with activity, even if quiet, introverted activity—I awoke not altogether refreshed. As part of my awakening, I began to rehearse the day’s checklist, remembering my desire to share a thought or two with you—and please know that my sharing with you is not an onerous task.
Understandably, as I awoke—as I thought of my day, and if I may project mine upon yours, “rest” came to mind. As a consequence, I was reminded of Jesus’ interaction with His disciples (cf. Mark 6:7-45). That is, you might recall that He sent them out to minister in His Name and in the Name of His Kingdom. Perhaps they went forth with trepidation, but when they returned to Him, they were undoubtedly filled with excitement, hoping to share all that they had experienced. Recognizing that their present was not suitable for meaningful, listening dialogue, Jesus said: “Come, you yourselves by yourselves unto a deserted place and rest a little.” (Here the Greek word for “rest” has embedded within it the words “stop” and “again.”)
Thus, He and His disciples sought and found a deserted place, but one that had filled quickly with a crowd, who were like sheep without a shepherd: essentially aimless, helpless, and defenseless. With compassion like a shepherd for his/her sheep, Jesus then taught this flock of thousands, until the hour grew late, whereupon the disciples thought to send them away. To their consternation, however, He commanded these disciples to feed His “sheep” (after all, they had wondrous stories of ministry in His Name). At first they faltered, but soon they fed His sheep with the loaves and the fish He had blessed.
Rest.
I believe that Jesus’ disciples experienced rest, but in a manner very unlike their expectations: the rest they experienced came as they sat and listened to Him, while He cared for the multitudes; and then as they cared for those same multitudes, by sharing with them His manifold blessings, they knew further rest. They first listened, and then cared: they rested.
Rest: I wonder, do you need to rest—do you need to stop, in order to listen to Jesus? Do you need to hear and experience His compassion-generated words and actions?[1]
I wonder … the hour is never too late.
Being refreshed,
Stan
[1]By the way, it is this rest we seek to provide pastors in Romania, Uganda, and Malawi.