About five years ago I found this little cabin in the woods.
I surprised Daniel with a weekend alone there. I thought it would be a good retreat for us. We could make it a time to regroup, pray over marriage, ministry and the direction of our life. Since then we have incorporated our kids into the retreat time. We take a pile of books, build a fire and hunker down for a few days of decompression.
It’s sort of our own little mountainside retreat.
The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand. Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. Mark 6: 44-46
I am convicted by the Savior’s commitment to be alone. He purposed to go to the mountainside to pray. I mean he was Jesus. He was God. He was a busy guy. He had the weight of the world on his shoulders and people pressing in on all sides. He was in high demand. There were souls to save, miracles to perform, sermons to preach. If anyone had an excuse to not find the time for retreat it was him.
I think sometimes I glorify busyness in my own life. I have kids to feed, a house to clean, women to encourage. I get up early. I go to bed late. And in between I scurry around wiping noses, changing diapers, planning meals, preparing for classes, cleaning house, doing laundry, and MAYBE squeeze some time alone with God in the mix.
But Jesus dismissed the crowd. He went to the mountainside and prayed. Something I simply don’t do enough of.
This week I will. I will dismiss the crowd. I will dismiss Facebook. I will dismiss texting. I will dismiss blogging. I will dismiss ministry work. I will take a few days to reconnect with God, my husband and my children.
Even if you can’t go to a cabin in the woods, find a place, take a moment, create a mountainside of your own and just be. Be with God.
Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. Micah 4:2
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