When you think God is calling you to more but He’s really calling you to “Come away and rest”

Do you find yourself feeling like you’re living life in 5th gear? Like you’re supposed to keep doing more?

The other night, I was talking with a woman whose plate was overflowing, who had been living life in 5th gear, who had some crazy difficult experiences in her life that had left her feeling weary, worn out, and overwhelmed.

It’s a story I hear all the time. It’s where so many women live. In 5th gear! It’s where I often find myself living.

So todayt, I just want to talk to you woman-to-woman and speak to you where I find so many women… feeling overwhelmed.

If we would all admit it, most of us live our lives like Martha… (LUKE 10:40-42 NLT)

40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

We’re so easily distracted by life.

And it’s not normally bad stuff… it’s not the things we shouldn’t be doing. It’s the things we need to do but we shouldn’t allow them to consume our hearts, our lives, our time.

We shouldn’t exhaust all of our energy on the good things and leave no time or energy for the best things.

Mark 6:7-12, Jesus sends out His 12 disciples kind of like the Noah’s Ark expedition, two-by-two. They went out in the power of God and preached repentance, cast out demons, and healed the sick.

Then we read immediately after the beheading of John the Baptist

Mark 6:30-32, “30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. 31 And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.”

We get caught up in this perpetual cycle of doing the next thing, fixing the next situation, fulfilling the next need, answering the next knock on our door, and we just don’t stop to rest.

And what happens when we don’t stop to rest is we become unhealthy.

Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually unhealthy.

The Lord knows we need rest. We all need to be refueled, recharged, and refreshed.

We need time with each other and time with God. Alone. Away from everything that beckons for our time and attention.

But I think if we were all honest, we are so busy doing life that we are missing out on what life is all about.

We live in a culture that keeps us moving from one thing to the next and we have lost our ability to just BE.

When I was growing up, I had the privilege of watching my mom enjoy time at home, time with her friends, vacations with family and friends, and when she retired, she and my stepdad spent their weekends hanging out with their friends, playing cards, eating out, laughing together and crying together.

Friendship was sweet… they made time for each other.

And after I became a Christian at the age of 24, I had the amazing example of other women make time alone with God their primary priority.

These women were busy serving the Lord, but they never let service for the Lord become a substitute for their relationship with the Lord.

So today, I’m here to talk to you woman-to-woman and say it’s time to get away. It’s time to make time to get away and rest. 

To unplug from social media and from the dailies of every day life and reconnect with real relationships and take time to just BE.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus beckons you and me to come…

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

AMPLIFIED:

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]

29 Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.

30 For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.”

In our quest to do more for God, we leave of our time with Him. We substitute service for relationship.

Oh, sweet friends… do you just need to take some time to come away with the Lord and rest?

If you’re living your life in 5th gear, please take a minute and think… when was the last time you remember getting away with God.

Has your life been so loud that you can’t hear the Savior’s still small voice say, “Come away and rest”?

When was the last time you spent some real time with your girlfriends?

Now think for a moment about that one thing (maybe even more) that you need to find rest from, encouragement for, an answer to, a need fulfilled…and then commit now to coming to the retreat to get away and find the rest your heart and soul truly needs.

Did you need this today?

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