Me Time

“He said to them,
‘Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat.”

Mark 6:31

Have you ever heard someone (or maybe even yourself) say “I need some ‘me’ time.” Parents of newborns and with young children know that this “me time” is hard to come by and maybe even impossible! Jesus seemed to have told the disciples to do this: “come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” But what happens? The crowds follow them. How did Jesus react? He looked at them, was moved with pity and compassion. and He ministered to them.

How do we respond to times when our “me time” was interrupted? Do we see those people or things that come up as inconveniences and disruptions or do we encounter them and embrace them as opportunities to grow and learn? Are these moments of interruptions for us mere annoyances or do we see them as moments of grace?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that we do not need any alone time. In fact we do, and all that we do should come from this alone time. Alone time, not me time. Alone time is time spent in the silence, where God comes to meet us. It is in this alone time with God are we able to recharge and put our focus back on what is most important, so that when these interruptions come, we will not say to ourselves, “Oh why of all days is this happening today?” but rather, “Alright, Jesus, I trust in You. How can I see you in him? In this situation?”

This week let us strive to seek and relish in this alone time (rather than me time) so that we may go and do all that we have been asked to do.