Stopping for a Recharge - Martin Wiles

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. Mark 6:31 NLT

After two hours, she heads for her docking station to recharge.

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 put millions out of work. The government issued stimulus checks to individuals and families to stimulate the economy. Yes, they wanted us to use the money to help pay our bills, but they also hoped we’d spend some for unnecessary things to jump-start the economy.

And my wife had an idea about how we could use some of ours to contribute. She had had her eye on a robotic vacuum cleaner before COVID hit. Not the one that costs $500, but a cheaper version sold by America’s favorite retailer. I had ignored her hints for months, but now, since we had extra money—and since Mother’s Day happened to come along simultaneously—I gave her the okay to order one.

Having both grown up when The Jetsons’ was a popular kids’ show, we decided to name our new addition Rosie—after the household robot the Jetsons owned. My wife loves Rosie. I suppose because my wife is the one who does the sweeping and vacuuming. I, on the other hand, tolerate her. She’s a little noisy, and she always seems to be cleaning in the exact spot where I need to walk.

Not being the most expensive kind of robot. Rosie can’t map out our house, so she plunders around from room to room until her battery drains. When I hear her noise level lower, I know she’ll soon be heading for her recharging dock. I must admit, I’m amazed she knows when she needs a recharge—when things are about to stop working if she doesn’t do something. Like a heat-guided missile, she aims for the recharge station, where she stays until we press the “clean” button again.

What builders have programmed Rosie to know, Jesus also knew: we need time to relax. Crowds regularly thronged Jesus and His disciples. So much so that they didn’t even have time to eat on this one occasion. Jesus invited them to join Him in leaving the crowds—and the work—so they could rest. In His earthly body, even Jesus needed downtime.

God demonstrated the need for rest at the beginning of time by resting for a day after He had created. God, of course, is God and didn’t need physical rest. Instead, He gave an example. Later, when issuing the commands to Moses, God designated one day as the Sabbath and instructed the listeners to rest and worship on that day. After Jesus’ resurrection, early believers changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. But the day is not as important as the ideas behind it. We need downtime, and we need worship time.

God did not create our bodies with the capacity to run continuously without rest, which includes more than getting adequate sleep. Jesus and His disciples may have slept during their rest time—perhaps they even took a power nap—but they more likely just relaxed.

My grandmother once warned me I was burning the candle at both ends and setting myself up for trouble. She was right. Not long afterward, I contracted a bleeding ulcer. A week in the hospital gave me time to rest and reflect.

Without proper rest—including sleep and downtime—our bodies break down, and things go haywire. We can also become legalistic about the one-day worship thing and forget that our worship can occur anywhere, but should occur daily.

God has work for us, and taking care of our bodies properly allows us to do His work and do it for a longer period than we could if we didn’t nurture our bodies. Our world is a busy place. To get the proper rest requires following Jesus’ example. He determined to rest, planned to incorporate it into His schedule, and then did it. He didn’t let the crowds—or their needs—stop Him. He knew the benefits of rest would far outweigh what the crowds perceived as urgent needs. Rest would allow Him and His disciples to do more later, and for a longer period.

God didn’t create our bodies to run continuously. Plan to incorporate rest into your daily schedule.

Father, guide me to those times when I can rest and reflect on my priorities and my relationship with You. 

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