When the Day Takes All of You

Posted by Debra | 0 comments

Imagine staying up with the moon preparing the pieces and pages for the next day’s lesson.  Love and duty equally motivate the morning and teaching happens and children engage.  Some respond well, even with excitement.  But one doesn’t understand.  He has struggled, and now he fights and melts and the tantrum creates a tension that holds the rest of the morning hostage.  Quieting him takes moments stolen from his siblings and leaves exhaustion in its wake.   It’s not even lunch-time.

Your promise to visit with a friend calls all the children to pile into the car to make the grateful errand.  Arriving, the scene is evidence of her own night spent, up late with sickness.  Doubt rises.  Leaving seems appropriate, but staying provides support, comfort and order.  After a shared lunch, clean-up, and good-byes, the next tasks can receive attention.

But the afternoon presses in with more needs.  The bickering children, friend in despair, frustrated husband, committee’s deadline, late supper.  You listen to the stories, feel the pain, make the best effort, offer solutions and try to be the blessing.  But at the end of the day the will is spent and frazzled.  Who can think about tomorrow?

Then, in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there (Mark 1: 35).

You’ve had these days and Jesus, too, had a day just like this in which his purposeful work grew into that which was emotional and taxing.  Mark doesn’t say that Jesus felt spent or inadequate, only that Jesus’ next step was to get away in a time of solitude and prayer.  But we can connect the two.

In solitude, Jesus connected with what he needed to do next: more of the same.  To lean in.  It didn’t change what needed to be done, only the strength he had to do it.  Though others wanted to press him with their needs, he determined not to derail his purpose.  Jesus returned from silence and solitude with function and purpose.

Days of solitude are not escapes, but engagements with the Father. I go away in a day of silence several times a year.  Sometimes I hear God speak a powerful new thing, but many times I simply rest with him, think about his words and deeds and sense his permission to continue on in the direction I’ve been going. These times are where our most spiritual work is done, where our hearts are real enough to listen, and where our spirits are filled.

Interestingly, Jesus’ next days out of solitude weren’t really any different.  The needs around him only seemed to increase.  Taking a morning away didn’t change his reality, but it renewed his heart.  That’s what solitude and silence will do.  We too must take the time we need to do what we must, whether that’s a day alone, a weekend away, or a few hours of silence.  We really can’t afford not to.

Debra Anderson has three sons ages 11 and younger. Her passions are education, mentoring, her husband, writing, church ministry and missional living — not in that order. She has her seminary Masters degree in Christian Education, is married to her pastor-husband of 16 years, and resides in their newish home in Denver, CO. In spite of moves between four different states, she has always home educated her boys — even on the hard days. She maintains a blog at www.emergent-homeschool.blogspot.com.