Take a walk

By Tyler Tankersley

Recently, I was feeling overwhelmed. It seemed that my plate was overflowing and I was having a hard time keeping up with everything was being asked of me. I felt myself growing short and curt with those who interacted with me, and I knew that I was not operating at my best.

That is when I read this passage from the Gospel of Mark: "The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, 'Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while'" (Mark 6:30-31). There are numerous times in the Gospels when Jesus and the disciples needed to take a break from their ministry. They often would seclude themselves on a mountain to pray.

I do not think our culture does a good job of instilling the rhythms of rest in us. We tend to define people by what they "do," by what they produce, by how they earn their money. We brag about our overextended schedules because we have deluded ourselves into thinking that our busy-ness somehow makes us more important in the eyes of our neighbors.

Our souls are not made to overextend ourselves. According to both psychologists and medical researchers, working too often and for too long can lead to depression, irregular sleep patterns, cardiovascular problems, and stress disorders.

In the Book of Exodus, the Israelites are freed from being slaves in Egypt. During their time of slavery, their primary task was the make bricks for Pharaoh's various monuments to himself. Your worth in Pharaoh's world was determined by the amount of bricks you were able to create. When God's people are freed, they are given a new set of commandments (see Exodus 20) that include the decree that they were to practice something called "sabbath," a Hebrew word meaning rest or cessation. In complete opposition to Pharaoh, God tells the people that they are spend part of the time being unproductive and resting because their worth is not found their abilities; it is found in God's grace for them.

On the day I read that passage in Mark, I closed my laptop. I drove to Cape County Park and I walked the trail. I did not walk it with the goal of completing the loop; I ambled, I strolled, I took my time. I tried to listen to each bird and I noticed the difference between various trees. And most importantly: I left my phone in the car! After spending an hour or two resting in God's good creation, I found myself more at peace and my soul at ease. Lo and behold, I was even able to accomplish every item on my to-do list.

Friend, your soul is not made to be overextended. Your soul is made to step into the beautiful, God-given rhythms of rest and grace. Take the time to rest. And find someone else who could use some rest and create space for their soul to be quiet.

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).