Rest Isn't Quitting

It always catches me off guard when I read passages in the New Testament, especially in the Gospels, about Jesus drawing away, pulling away from the crowd to pray, or getting away to somewhere quiet in order to rest.

I don’t know if you’re like me, but I often associate rest with weakness, lack of commitment, or quitting. A phrase I’ve picked up along the way, “I’ll rest when I’m dead!” Sounds cool… but it’s not a healthy way to live.

For starters, if Jesus got away to pray, took time to rest, and saw the importance of pulling away from the crowd, it’s safe to assume, we’re not stronger than Him or more capable than Him. So in turn, we can feel pretty good about following in His foot steps concerning these things.

Whether it’s a macho perspective that causes us to think as men we have to constantly run, and run faster than others; a Pinterest/Instagram/Facebook expectation that’s put on women to do it all while looking fabulous and having a smile on your face; or just a cultural pressure we all feel to achieve; we can find ourselves running until we’re exhausted; all while not feeling any more accomplished or effective than when we started.

Jesus no doubt experienced an immense amount of pressure from the expectations of others. Whether it was His followers or the crowd, everywhere He went, people needed or wanted something from Jesus.

My challenge to us is, let’s take comfort and direction from His example. Even when there is great need, even when we’re really good at what we do, even when there are people depending on us… let’s take time to get away and pray. Let’s take time to remove ourselves from the race. Let’s take time to rest. After all, rest isn’t quitting, rest is a necessary component to successfully preparing us for the next challenge in front of us.

- Daniel Sabo