Don’t “Should” Yourself!

… and when they found [Jesus], they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you."

    - St. Mark, Mark 1:37

"I lived my life for others… until I no longer knew who I was…."

- A Friend

There are markers in life that sometimes tell us that we have literally stepped into a new phase, a new stage, a new dimension of life.

Do you know what I mean? Last night, after celebrating three birthdays at The Cheesecake Factory, we took all the kids next door to Dave & Busters. WOW! Talk about a mini-Vegas for kids… on steroids… blinding flashing lights, loud buzzers, high-decibel sirens, deafening music, and screaming kids! Once upon a time, not that long ago, this was my kind of place! I loved the energy, the stimulation, the craziness… all of it! But last night… 5 minutes in… I was like… exhausted! Even my new hearing aids were asking me: "So… You put 'ME' on for this?" (Smile). And I found myself wondering, "When did I go from being energized by the circus to being drained by the circus?"

As the over-stimulated adrenaline of the kids reached a fever pitch, I turned to my son and said, "Ty… Mom and I are going to step out into the Mall Lobby and sit down."  And he said, "But Dad… You love this! You're gonna miss the kids havin' fun." I smiled and said, "I'll see you in a little bit." Walking out, I told Candace, "I think I've entered a new phase of life." She smiled and said, "Old age?" "No," I laughed..."It's a deeper place… called, 'Listening to My spirit.'"

Let me ask you a question: What do you do with the demands in your life?

We have been conditioned by a world that says, “Keep moving up  Go faster. Go bigger. Keep building. Keep expanding. Keep striving. Keep giving.” And when you combine that kind of pressure with a good heart that cares about people, their wants and needs and hurts create a demand on your heart that you think you SHOULD meet no matter what. The truth is, some of you are "SHOULDING" yourself into exhaustion, weariness, dis-ease.

In Mark 1, Jesus gives you and I an Aha! moment that ought to change our life… in a good way! Jesus had come into a village, and the word quickly spread that a Healer was in town so everybody and their neighbor brought anyone and everyone who was sick to Jesus. He spent the entire night healing them. The Bible says…

Very early the next morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. Simon and his friends went to look for him, and when they found [Jesus], they exclaimed, “Everyone is looking for you!”

Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else...."

- Mark 1:35-38

What?! That's His response?

At the exact moment when the need was the greatest… when the demand for Him was the strongest… What does He do? He pulls back!

He withdraws! He goes in the opposite direction! And I can hear the disciples, "Lord… You're on a roll! The people love you! You had a sold-out show last night! Let's ride this wave as long as we can!" And what does Jesus say? "C'mon… Let's go somewhere else."

Why? Because Jesus knew that night had taken a lot out of Him.

I heard a pastor say that Jesus' great compassion for people existed side-by-side with a tremendous sense that He personally needed to do what God called Him to do. Isn't it interesting that the only person who doesn't have a messiah complex is the Messiah Himself?

Listen… If, lately, you've been asking yourself, "Why am I so tired all the time? How come I don't have the energy I used to? Why do I feel… like… if I don't get away soon I'm gonna go nuts?!"

Take a lesson from Jesus who listened to something deeper than the demands around Him!

If Jesus listened to the whisper of His Spirit telling Him to set boundaries… to rest… even in the face of all the demands before Him… who are we… to do anything less?

AMEN!

Pastor Harry