I read Mark 6:6-13, 30-44 sitting on my favorite beach & have been digesting its truth for the past few days…
After a full season, Jesus’ disciples found themselves so busy they didn’t even have time to eat. It’s here—hungry & exhausted—that Jesus invites them to step away & rest.
After they rested, perhaps one of the miracles we know best takes place: Jesus feeds the 5,000. Right before a crazy-incredible miracle refueling thousands of people’s physical bodies by providing dinner, Jesus invited the disciples to take care of their own physical bodies… they rested & refueled. As a problem arose with the crowd (thousands of people with no dinner & no take-out nearby!), you’d think the disciples would be ready to take action & provide solutions, right? Not so much. They reacted out of stress & anxiety. Overwhelm, fear & panic spoke as they suggested turning the people away from what their souls needed most: the Bread of Life Himself.
Three takeaways stand out to me in these few verses:
(1) Taking care of our physical bodies is important.
(2) Who we rest & refuel with matters.
(3) How we rest either sets us up to pour out again… or it doesn’t.
So, so many deep truths I’m still soaking up, learning from & digesting. But today, I’m applying a major truth: I want to rest well—whether it’s 5 minutes of calm thinking, 5 hours of reading poolside, or a 5 day beach vacation—so that when those around me ask for help, my first response is to point them to my ultimate source of Hope, Rest, Shelter & Bread… Jesus Christ. How I rest either sets me up to be a part of the miracle, or sidelines me as a worried spectator. And I want to be a part of the miracle! ????
Warrior friend, grab your Bible or the @youversion Bible App… dive into Mark 6:6-13, 30-44. What is God saying to you about resting intentionally, refueling to continue to pour out, partnering with people to discover Hope in Christ? I’d love to hear what He’s teaching you… leave a comment or DM me! Cheering you on big time as you’re becoming who God made you to be! ??
