As I age, I find I am slowing down. I walk slower (and use a cane for balance.) It takes me longer to clean my house. My mind is a bit slower too.
But one of the delights of aging is that I no longer rush through things. I have time to “stop and smell the roses” as that old saying goes. I can sit and watch the wind in the trees and not feel guilty or listen to the little girls next door squealing as they jump on their trampoline or watch the colony of feral cats cavorting under the trees in our back yard.
We are a people who rush through life, as if we could abandon our difficulties and trials by simply outdistancing them.
Mark Chapter 6 tells of a fast-paced time for Jesus and His disciples. After being rejected in His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus went through the villages teaching the people. He began to send his disciples out two by two also. Mark also records the death of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, and ends the chapter with the Feeding of the Five Thousand and Jesus walking on the water.
But in the middle Mark records something we tend to overlook. Nestled among the big events is a small one, one that speaks volumes about the heart of Jesus.
“The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, ‘Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.’ He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.” [6:30-31 NLT]
Slowing down and resting awhile with Jesus is needed. When we stop the furious pace that we so often find ourselves on, we can find peace for our souls and health for our spirits.
