“Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
— Mark 6:31, NKJV
I’ve been silent this week. And that isn’t normal for me.
Sharing God’s Word matters to me. So does being consistent. When a devotional remains unwritten, I find myself wondering whether I should have made more time.
That question has followed me this week.
And it has raised another: Have I given myself room to rest, or have I simply carried the pressure of an unfinished task into the time I spend doing something else?
There have been health concerns, everyday responsibilities, decisions to make, and writing projects that mean a great deal to me. My mind has been full.
One evening, I spent time with family and then sat down to pay bills. By bedtime, the devotional I had intended to write was still unwritten.
I found myself wondering whether I hadn’t found the time—or simply hadn’t made it.
That deserves an honest answer. So does another question:
Had I considered everything else that needed my attention?
Sometimes the things we care about most are the hardest things to step away from.
We believe in the work. We recognize its value. We want to be faithful in doing it. And because it matters so much, we can have difficulty recognizing when we need to pause.
In Mark 6, the apostles returned to Jesus and reported what they had done and taught. The activity around them was so demanding that they didn’t even have time to eat. Jesus responded by inviting them to withdraw and rest. (bible.com)
Their work mattered. Their need for rest mattered to Him, too.
That gives me something to consider when I examine my own priorities.
I can measure a day by what I finished, what I wrote, or how far I moved a project forward. Yet there are other things that deserve a place in that examination: time with my wife, attention to my health, the care of my household, and quiet moments with God.
Those things need room in my life.
Sometimes making that room requires stepping back—even from work I love.
A project may need to wait for an evening. A posting schedule may need adjusting. I may need to put down the phone, take a deep breath, and give my full attention to the person sitting beside me.
And I need to recognize when fatigue, distraction, or a shorter temper are telling me to slow down and examine what I’m carrying.
A pause gives us room to pray honestly:
Lord, what needs my attention today? What can wait? Where have my priorities become crowded?
We have a responsibility to consider those questions before exhaustion makes every decision feel urgent.
If you’ve felt stretched thin this week, take a little time to examine your pace. Consider what your mind and body have been telling you. Bring your responsibilities—and your expectations of yourself—before the Lord.
Then give yourself room to receive the rest you need.
The people you love deserve your attention. Your health deserves care. Your walk with God deserves time.
Don’t become so locked into a schedule that it squeezes the living out of your life.
Let your schedule breathe…
And make room for those things that matter most.
