Take A Nap

When I was 17, I went to Disneyland with my girlfriend for the day.

Some of you might be mega Disney people… but to be honest, I have zero emotional attachment to the place. I apologize if that means we can’t be friends, but here we are. We do crazy things for love and I drove over to pick her up with Starbucks in hand at 6AM to cruise up to Anaheim for the day. We drove up, rode all the rides, ate all the food, saw all the shows, and took all the pictures. It was a great time… until the drive home.

I don’t even have kids, but I can imagine how the happiest place on earth could turn into a car ride from hell on the way home. Either way, I’m falling asleep on the 5 south and we eventually make it back to her house. I drop her off, say goodnight, and then begin my drive back to my house. As I’m getting off of Friars Road East at 1AM, and cruising up the hill that crests into Grantville, I suddenly experienced something I had never had happen before. I was pressing the gas pedal, but my car wasn’t going any faster… in fact, it was slowing down! I realized at that moment, I hadn’t bothered to look at my gas gauge since I had filled up that morning. I had been so busy, tired, and distracted to even notice the little yellow light that says, “You’re about to be $50 poorer in the next 5 minutes.” Thankfully, I had crested the hill, threw the car in neutral, and coasted into a 7/11 gas station stall without needing to accelerate once. Some call it luck, I call it the grace of God.

So why do you care about the first time I ran out of gas?

Because you and I all have a limited amount of energy… and if you’re anything like me, you probably don’t check on where that gauge is very often.

In the book of Mark, one of the four gospels in the New Testament, we see that Jesus is keenly aware of the humanity of the disciples.

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 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.”
- Mark 6:30-31

Thirty verses into Mark chapter 6, the disciples had been sent by Jesus to go and do ministry all throughout the surrounding areas. When they report back to him, he tells them to do something really interesting. Go and rest. Take a nap.

When I finish a Herculean task, I often want recognition or reward, but Jesus offers rest.

I’m looking for praise, and Jesus calls us to be present. I want acknowledgement, Jesus wants us to know we are accepted as we are. Jesus is communicating two things to us through Mark. Rest is not for the weak, it’s for the weary. You and I have limits in life we can’t change. It’s how we were designed.

What happens right after that? Well they, just moments later, are asked to participate in an amazing miracle of feeding over 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. Jesus knew there was more work to do, but he was aware that the disciples needed rest to be ready for it.

I’m sure today you’re looking for someone to notice how hard you’re working, how fast you're running, how long you’ve been pushing. And maybe you’ve told yourself you can’t rest until you feel satisfied. What if I told you the only satisfaction you’ll find today is in the rest that Jesus has for you?

And what if that rest was the very vehicle that Jesus wants to use to tell you “well done”?

Today, make some space to hear what God thinks about what you’ve been doing recently. I know I'm always pleasantly surprised to hear how proud my Heavenly Father is of me when I take the time to let Him tell me and fill my tank up.

DJ Brennan

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