Mark 6:31
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
As I basked in the beautiful Minnesota weather that has settled between the heat of Summer and the Cool of early Autumn, my heart, my eyes and ears were attuned to the havoc Irene was causing on the East Coast. One of the quotes that stuck in my mind was this "Irene may not be a big one, but she is a mean one." And that proved to be true as stories of death and destruction came pouring in along with the wind and the rain.
Having grown up on the East Coast I have experienced the forces of the hurricane. For Minnesotans the only comparison can be an oncoming blizzard or cold snap. Like a hurricane, Minnesotans usually have sufficient warning and time to prepare for the pending onslaught from nature. And prepare we do. But at some point, preparing is done and all we can do is wait out whatever is coming our way. We stop. We rest. We wait.
In general, I do not like to stop, rest, or wait. It is bred in the American culture to always be moving, to be always taking action. If we are standing still, a popular motivational saying goes, then we are going backwards. We feel guilty, even in the midst of great pain and trial and obstacles if we do not continue to fight whatever battle has been sent our way.
But at some point, after preparing for the oncoming storm clouds of life, we must stop. We must rest. We must wait.
We must not overlook this important instruction that is vital to our survival. Go find a quiet place to rest, hunker down with Christ until the storm passes over.
Many times Scripture tells us to "wait". Other times, Scripture exhorts us to "stand firm". Sometimes that is all we can do, and we need not feel guilty about it.
I do not predispose knowing what any of you may be going through as I write this piece. But I do know that if you are slugging it out, putting your head into the wind and trying to move forward, or lashing out at the darkness of whatever it is that besets you, may be it would be better to rest. To wait. To stand firm.
Because once the storm is over we will need our strength to recover, to move forward and to help others who may have gone through the storm as well.As I basked in the beautiful Minnesota weather that has settled between the heat of Summer and the Cool of early Autumn, my heart, my eyes and ears were attuned to the havoc Irene was causing on the East Coast. One of the quotes that stuck in my mind was this "Irene may not be a big one, but she is a mean one." And that proved to be true as stories of death and destruction came pouring in along with the wind and the rain.
Having grown up on the East Coast I have experienced the forces of the hurricane. For Minnesotans the only comparison can be an oncoming blizzard or cold snap. Like a hurricane, Minnesotans usually have sufficient warning and time to prepare for the pending onslaught from nature. And prepare we do. But at some point, preparing is done and all we can do is wait out whatever is coming our way. We stop. We rest. We wait.
In general, I do not like to stop, rest, or wait. It is bred in the American culture to always be moving, to be always taking action. If we are standing still, a popular motivational saying goes, then we are going backwards. We feel guilty, even in the midst of great pain and trial and obstacles if we do not continue to fight whatever battle has been sent our way.
But at some point, after preparing for the oncoming storm clouds of life, we must stop. We must rest. We must wait.
We must not overlook this important instruction that is vital to our survival. Go find a quiet place to rest, hunker down with Christ until the storm passes over.
Many times Scripture tells us to "wait". Other times, Scripture exhorts us to "stand firm". Sometimes that is all we can do, and we need not feel guilty about it.
I do not predispose knowing what any of you may be going through as I write this piece. But I do know that if you are slugging it out, putting your head into the wind and trying to move forward, or lashing out at the darkness of whatever it is that besets you, may be it would be better to rest. To wait. To stand firm.
There is no shame in resting, waiting and standing firm. Christ said to "Go rest" so go rest. It's OK.
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