If Jesus himself had to “get away” to detox from the press of the crowd and the demands of His calling, if the Lord himself had to escape “to a quiet place” to hear from Home and have sweet communion with his Father, then I am not about to beat myself up anymore when I just have to disappear sometimes to restore my soul.
There was a time when I thought I had to justify my time of solitude—write something publishable or be able to see the result of time alone in actual product. But no more! I am coming to believe that finding my spiritual tank on EMPTY is reason enough. And I don’t have to rationalize, even to myself, spending a day at the cabin or in my potting shed just reading, painting, or even taking a nap. Empty is dangerous, and whatever it takes to refill my soul is wisdom, not foolishness.
We live in a culture in which success is rated by product. How much can we do? How much ground can we cover? How many appointments can we keep? What is our output?
The teaching of Jesus is counter-culture. Jesus says:
“Consider the lilies...”
“He who would be greatest must be servant of all…”
“Become like a child if you want to be in My Kingdom… “
“Don’t be anxious about tomorrow...”
We are called to walk this earth, but in walking the earth some of the mud sticks to our feet. In time it’s hard to tell where the mud stops and our feet begin. Maybe that’s why we are called to wash each other’s feet: to get ourselves free of the dirt so that we can, then, walk the earth again.
Over the years there have been several times when a motley group of burned-out artists have gathered on a mountain top or by a state park lake to eat together, sing together, confess our frailties, and rest from the road. We took quiet walks through the woods, paddled some kayaks across the lake, and prayed together. We laughed our heads off and wandered off sometimes to be alone. Don’t ask what happened there. It was too precious to violate the sweet trust that emerged. I’m just saying the time was more valuable than gold. Literally.
Time to restore is valuable—whether the stolen time is alone or with others in community. No product needed. Just a rejuvenated soul is treasure enough.
