Mark 6:31a & 32

"... Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves."

'Lord, the necessity of occasional solitude is invaluable, otherwise my Savior Himself would have never needed or desired it. There's a time and a season for everything (cf. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8), including solitude and rest. No doubt, Lord, there's a reason why You created me, us, this way because You could have crafted our bodies so we'd never have to rest, and thus Your purposes in it must be grand. Perhaps it's partially to keep us humble that we might not boast in our own strength. I see the two (rest and solitude) must often go together, meaning that it's difficult to get rest without solitude, and in solitude we should find rest. I believe that sometimes our culture, and especially our American Christian culture fight against these wonderful disciplines and replenishments You've designed our bodies to receive.

Jesus and His disciples went to a deserted place. At times it's hard to find such a place, but it takes work to find rest. In this case, they all had to get into a boat and travel afar. Getting around wasn't easy back then, but they made it a priority.

Lord, let me not despise rest as if it were some wasteful thing, and yet on the other hand let me not love it so that it becomes an idolatrous thing. Help me to exercise the discipline to go away to deserted places to pray, meditate, rest, rejuvenate and worship. I pray this very same thing for Victoria, and that I might work harder to create those environments for her much like she so faithfully does for me.'