Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Attitude”
Our Bible verse for today: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Some rest will do wonders for your attitude.”
In his book “Toughness Training for Life” Dr. James Loehr makes the case that one of the best things we can do to help make sure we are tough, is to get enough rest. He writes, “Recovery is an important word and a vital concept. It means renewal of life and energy. Knowing how and when to recover may prove to be the most important skill in life.”
Yesterday I wrote about how important it is to maintain a good balance to our lives. I noted that being creatures of habit, we do best when we have a smooth rhythm to the pattern of our lives, a pattern within which all the important elements of life are properly balanced, each receiving adequate amounts of our time and attention.
For many of us rest and relaxation, what Dr. Loehr refers to as “recovery”, is an important area that does not get due time and attention. Allowing enough time to adequately recover involves getting enough sleep, but there’s more to it than that. We also need to carve out time and space that is free from the hassle and noise of life. Picture yourself alone in the woods, lying in the grass alongside a stream, just looking up at the sky and listening to the bubbling water and the birds.
Renewal time like that can take many forms but it has to involve shutting out the rest of life. This is exactly what Jesus was calling His disciples to in Mark 6:31. They had been involved in so many ministry activities for so long, and still the people were pressing in around them. Finally Jesus called a time-out. He literally left the crowds standing there, and He led His followers to a remote and quiet place to simply rest and relax.
Sometimes we feel guilty about doing that. We get the notion that the world will stop, or other people’s lives will fall apart, if we’re not there to hold it all together. No, the only thing that is going to fall apart is you – if you don’t stop and get some rest.
I’m preaching to the choir here. I used to be better about this. There was a time in my life when, two or three times a year, I would rent a cabin in the mountains and go way for a couple of days by myself. It was just me and the Lord and some good books (and the Good Book), alone in the mountains with the birds and the bees and the bears. I don’t do that often enough anymore.
Even if it’s only for an afternoon or an evening, all of us need to regularly carve-out those blocks of time when we can just rest and relax. You would be amazed how much good some recovery and renewal time will do for your attitude. I encourage you to get some soon.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 