I hope you’re having a great summer. Some of you, no doubt, have visited or are planning to visit one of our nation’s beautiful national parks. Each year the Park Service receives suggestions from guests on how they might better serve people visiting those parks. Here are some actual suggestions and comments they have received. I’ll let you decide which of them have some merit. Here’s the first suggestion:
“Many trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building ones that go uphill.” O. K., I’m all for that.
“Too many bugs and leeches and spider webs. Please spray wilderness areas to rid them of these pests.”
“The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying animals.”
“I like all the trees but you need to plant some flowers. Flower gardens would be so pretty in the forest.”
“The giant trees are spectacular but there are too many of the same kind; you should plant different types, for variety.”
“Reflectors need to be placed on the trees every 50 feet so people could hike at night with flashlights.”
“You should have a petting zoo here so that the children could touch the squirrels, deer and bears.”
I don’t know about children touching the bears. Anyway, here’s my favorite:
“Escalators would help on steep uphill areas of the hiking trails.” (1)
I can just see escalators all over our national parks.
Still, I’m glad we have places like our National Parks. We all need to get away for a holiday from time to time. Some of us live very stressful lives. And we can only take so much.
It reminds me of one of the best of the old-time television comedy shows, “I Love Lucy” with Lucille Ball. Many of you will remember the most famous clip from that show, “Lucy and Ethel in the Candy Factory.” It was on YouTube for many years. I’m not sure it is still there--probably not, due to copyright laws.
In this amazing clip, as you will remember, Lucy and Ethel have gotten jobs in a candy factory. Their job is to take candy coming down a conveyor belt and wrap each piece as it comes by. It works out all right at first, but the candy starts coming faster and faster and Lucy and Ethel find it harder and harder to keep up. They work as fast as they can, but the belt keeps getting faster and faster, and they get further and further behind. In desperation, Lucy begins stuffing candy in her mouth, in her pockets, and finally even in her blouse. But no matter how hard she and Ethel work, they still can’t keep up. The scene is hilarious . . . as long as it is happening to someone else. That’s the essence of comedy, isn’t it? It’s funny . . . as long as it is happening to someone else.
Some of you may feel that you are in that kind of situation--at work or at home or school. Life is coming at you way too fast and you can’t keep up. You need to get away at least for a little while for a rest.
Richard Fairchild tells us that when the machine gun was first invented a problem developed with it. It seems that if it was fired continuously for a period of time, the barrel would heat up and cause the gun to jam--even, upon occasion, to explode. At the beginning two simple solutions were arrived at to overcome this problem. You could either change the barrels--or you could stop firing for a while.
Some of us are like that machine gun--we need to quit firing for a while. We need to get away and let our barrels cool.
Even Jesus needed to get away from time to time. We read in Mark 6: “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to [the disciples], ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.”
Notice that in this passage Mark begins with the disciples’ return to Capernaum, most likely from having been sent out by Jesus to preach the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:1-10a). The apostles return to Jesus, excited by what they have experienced in their ministry, the casting out of demons and healing of the sick (Luke 9:1-2). They report to him what they had accomplished. But look at Jesus’ response. He didn’t congratulate them or pat them on the shoulder. Instead he called them to go away with him for a brief but well-needed rest.
This response is instructive to us. Everyone needs a time of rest, a time of leisure, a time to get away from the responsibilities of the day. Jesus needed it. The disciples needed it. Even in the best of work, even those who are serving others, even those who are working for God--need a break from time to time. The worse thing that can happen in ministering to others is suffering burn-out.
It can happen, even in the church. We hear the phrase, “compassion fatigue.” It’s a very real phenomenon. Everyone needs a time of rest, even when you’re doing God’s work, serving others. We need a time of rest daily, we need it weekly, and studies show that the quality of our work lives, as well as our home lives, will improve if we get away from time to time for a holiday.
Recently I saw a study on America’s top performing musicians. It would not surprise you if I said they put in more practice hours than average musicians do. That’s how they got to be the best in the first place. However you might be surprised to learn that these top performing musicians also take afternoon naps. According to research, these musicians have learned that after a diligent practice session, a restful break, even a brief one, recharges body and mind for the next session. (2)
Now I realize that most of us are not in a position to take an afternoon siesta. But, I think you will agree with me that most of us probably do not get enough rest. We’re told that in 1910 Americans slept nine hours a night. Today we sleep seven hours a night and brag about it. There is a limit to what each of us can do, and I suspect that some of us have about reached that limit.
Jonathan Turnbough of Garner, North Carolina, talks about the time when his mother was driving him and his sisters to school and they were pulled over by a policeman for speeding. After their little visit with the officer, they took off again, and this time his mother was very careful to stay under the speed limit. A few minutes had passed, and they started hearing a strange noise coming from the car.
“What’s that noise?” Jonathan’s mother asked.
Laughing, he replied, “That’s the sound of slow. We’ve never heard it before!” (3) Some of us need to listen to the sound of slow for a while.
It’s interesting to note that in the Jewish faith, it is considered unrighteous to ask for things in prayer on the Sabbath. In the estimation of our Jewish friends, the Sabbath is a day of rest, and even God should be allowed to rest from providing for us. So, on the Sabbath, prayers focus instead on praise and giving thanks for God’s many blessings. (4)
What a beautiful concept. Everyone, even God, needs a time to rest.
The disciples needed a time of rest, but they also needed to spend some time alone with Jesus. And so do we. Jesus says to his disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place . . .”
This was not only going to be a time of rest. It was also going to be a time to refuel themselves spiritually. Resting is good, but there is something else we need and that is to spend time alone with the Master.
Hugh Miller tells a time-honored story about a young man who went to work on a farm for the summer. He confided in the farmer that he wanted to develop some strong muscles while he was there. The farmer told him that that could be easily done by picking up a sack of potatoes in each hand and holding them at arm’s length for as long as he could. If he did this several times a day and increased the weight every week or so, he’d have strong muscles in no time.
The young man thought this was a great idea and began immediately by picking up 5-pound potato sacks in each hand. He was able to hold them for thirty seconds. He rested for a minute and did it again. Each day he did this and was able to extend the time and the number of holds. The second week he moved on to 10-pound sacks, increasing the time and the repetitions each day. Then he moved on to 20-pound sacks, worked his way up to 50-pounds and finally was able to hold 100-pound potato sacks in each hand for a full minute.
He was so excited that he ran to tell the farmer. He told him what he had accomplished, then he confided that, beginning the next day, he would start putting potatoes in the sacks.
“Too often,” says Hugh Miller, “our prayer life is like this young man’s efforts. We are not shy about telling others that we pray and have devotions every day, but those devotions are often only ‘an empty sack’ that we rush through. It’s not until we ‘put the potatoes in’--in other words, really begin to spend some time communicating with God and meditating on His Word, that these prayers and quiet times become meaningful.” (5)
We all recognize the truthfulness of Miller’s words. We need to find a way to really experience God’s presence, to hear God’s guidance for our lives, to communicate with God. We need a time for listening as well as a time for telling. A time for letting go of our concerns and a time to allow for God to fix whatever needs to be fixed in our lives.
Keith Todd tells a beautiful story about the son of a friend of his named Cici. When Cici’s son, John, was quite small, he had a small stuffed gorilla that he wagged around with him everywhere--and I do mean EVERYWHERE--he went. Cici could sometimes sneak the gorilla away for a quick laundering during nap time, but Heaven help her if John awoke before his friend “Rilla” was out of the dryer!
Some of you have seen your children form such attachments. It will not surprise you that Rilla’s seams gradually began to weaken and his stuffing began to leak. As she tells it, “Poor old Rilla was in desperate need of some corrective surgery, not to mention a stuffing transplant.”
One day, John waddled up to Cici and held up his battered, beloved Rilla and said, “Mommy, Rilla’s broked.” Cici explained that she would be happy to fix Rilla up--a little new stuffing, some seam reinforcement, and he would be “all better” again. John held Rilla out toward Cici, and said “Fizzit, Mommy!” But, when she reached down to take the little gorilla in her hands, she found that it had a two-year-old firmly attached to it. He would not let go of his beloved Rilla.
As all parents know, a tug-of-war with a two-year-old is frequently a losing proposition, and is ALWAYS accompanied by loud cries and copious tears. Finally, in exasperation, Cici said, “I can’t fix it until you let go of it!!!”
Cici says that, at just that moment, the Spirit of God tapped her on the shoulder, as it were--and she realized that God was waiting for her to let go of several things, too. (6)
This is one thing that happens when we get to a quiet place with Jesus. There are parts of our lives that are broken. There are parts of our lives that only he can fix.
I know, some of you will tell me that you just don’t have time to spend quality time with the Master. I understand, but I also know that this needs to be a priority in our lives. We will be stuck where we are spiritually without this essential component in our lives.
Someone put it beautifully on the Internet. She asks, “Ever wonder about the abbreviation ASAP? Generally, we think of it in terms of even more hurry and stress in our lives. Maybe if we think of this abbreviation in a different manner, we will begin to find a new way to deal with those rough days along the way.
There’s work to do, deadlines to meet, You’ve got no time to spare.
But as you hurry and scurry, ASAP - Always say a prayer.
In the midst of family chaos, “Quality time” is rare.
Do your best; let God do the rest, ASAP - Always say a prayer.
It may seem like your worries Are more than you can bear.
Slow down and take a breather, ASAP - Always say a prayer.
God knows how stressful life is, He wants to ease our cares.
And He’ll respond to all your needs, ASAP - Always say a prayer. (7)
When was the last time you stole away just to spend time with God? Finding a quiet place means a place where there are no distractions from other people, your career, loved ones and friends. When was the last time it was just you and God one on one? God wants to fix what’s wrong in your life, but you’ve got to give Him that chance. Do it today. ASAP - Always say a prayer.
1. The Daily Dilly, http://www.dobhran.com.
2. Research by K. Anders Ericsson, cited in Reader’s Digest, May 1996, p. 160.
4. Michael Brickley, “The Extended Life: Four Strategies for Healthy Longevity,” The Futurist, Sept.-Oct. 2001, p. 54.
5. Signs of the Times, August 21, 1884.
6. The Sermon Fodder List, https://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sermon_Fodder/.
7. Juanita, The-Inspired-Buffalo-subscribe@topica.com.