Even When Busy Is Our Byword
A few weeks ago, my small Sunday night Bible study group and I sat around a living room looking at a collection of short verses describing the movements of Jesus. I asked them which verse stood out to them, listening as each shared something significant they'd latched on to. When it was my turn, I shared that I liked Mark 6:31.
There was something about that verse. “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, “Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31) I like the idea of resting with Jesus. He made time for that. But it seemed so unrealistic. We smiled to each other. The group is mostly made up of young adults with fast-paced jobs, going to school full-time, or, in many cases, both. Busy is our byword.
The verse didn't let go of me. As I worked on a sermon a little while later, God nudged me back in that direction. I looked at the context how Jesus prioritized His disciples’ mental and spiritual health even in the middle of His own loss and grief (Mark 6:26-29). And busyness was their byword too; they had come out of a season of ministry (Mark 6:30), and by the time they made it to the other shore, they were right back into ministry (Mark 6:33).
I couldn't have missed the implications from God for my own life. Slow down. Rest. “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalms 46:10)
Jesus took the time to prioritize these things for His disciples, and He is still taking the time to prioritize them for us, too.
By Joanna Austill, Bible Study Leader and NBC Student
Published: 04/01/2019
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