May 30: Come Away and Rest
You’ve done hard work. You need rest.
“And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”
The disciples had just come back from a busy mission. They’d been preaching, healing, traveling. So many people were coming and going that they didn’t even have time to eat. And Jesus said: come away by yourselves to a quiet place, and rest a while.
He noticed they were tired. He didn’t push them to do more. He invited them to stop.
After Step Five, many people find it helpful to spend an hour alone and quiet. Not to keep working on anything. Just to be with God. To thank Him. To let what happened sink in. To look back over the first five steps and ask whether anything has been left out.
That hour matters. The Fifth Step is a big emotional event, even when it goes well. Rushing straight back into ordinary life can make it feel like it never happened. A quiet hour gives your heart time to catch up.
Where can you go? A park bench. A quiet room. A chapel. A long drive with the radio off. Anywhere you won’t be interrupted.
What do you do? Very little. Pray if you want to. Read a psalm. Sit. Thank God. Notice how you feel. If something comes to mind that you left out, write it down and plan to share it with your listener soon.
Rest isn’t laziness. It’s part of how God made you. Even He rested on the seventh day.
If you haven’t done your Fifth Step yet, plan for this hour now. Build it into the day. And if it’s a weekend, you might take a quiet hour anyway, just to rest with God.
Some people like to read back through the steps during that hour, slowly, asking what each one has meant. Others simply sit and let their minds be still. There’s no wrong way to rest with God.
One thing today
If you’ve done Step Five, take a quiet hour today if you haven’t yet. If you haven’t, pick the place where you’ll spend that hour afterward and add it to your plan.
A prayer
Jesus, thank You that You notice when I’m tired. I’m coming away with You to rest a while. Let what’s happened sink in. Show me if I’ve left anything out. Thank You. Amen.
On the hour afterward: Step Five.
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