Lately, I have been listening to Jeff Cavins’s daily Gospel reflections on the Hallow app. In a recent reflection, the Gospel passage spoke about Jesus and the disciples deciding they needed to rest from the crowds (Mark 6:30–34). They went off in a boat, intending to go to a deserted place, but the people were so hungry for the teachings of Jesus that they realized what was happening and actually arrived at the destination ahead of them. Moved with pity, Jesus began teaching again rather than continuing on to their intended place of rest.
SEEKING REST
While Cavins’s reflection was wonderful, I found myself caught up in the way this scenario plays out in my everyday life as a mom. We have six children and we homeschool, so there is a lot of togetherness in our house. This is my and my husband’s choice, but there are some days that I need a rest from being constantly surrounded by needs. So, I make some plans for myself: I’ll rest during quiet time, just me and my book or knitting project. I’ll rest in the evening, taking the hour before bed to just sit in one place to really put a dent in my cross-stitch picture without needing to get up every five minutes.
In my ideal scenario, I would get a large chunk of time to rest. This is what Jesus and the disciples were after. A period of time set apart. No interruptions, just the disciples and Jesus. Just me and my crafts.
As it may be plainly obvious, it is rare that these plans come to fruition. Or at least, that was what I thought until I spent time with this Gospel passage. Jesus actually offers me a great many opportunities for rest during my day—they just weren’t necessarily my vision of rest.
WHAT IS REAL REST?
What I came to realize is that the disciples did in fact have a period of rest. Yes, they were still working, but they had this time away from the crowds, to chat among themselves, to feel the breeze off the water, to be in Jesus’ presence without major distractions. Maybe this wasn’t the kind of rest they had envisioned, but it was a form of rest nonetheless.
Where in my day does Jesus offer me this same kind of rest? Maybe not an hour of my knitting project, but 10 minutes of solitude while I fold laundry. Perhaps I won’t be able to go to the grocery store by myself, but He offers me a slice of the afternoon’s quiet time to pray my daily Rosary without being interrupted (a rare triumph).
As I prayed with this passage, I realized I had been expecting to have a large chunk of “me time” nearly every day. And what’s more, I was becoming angry with myself and my family for not giving me what I felt that I deserved. I was overlooking all the small opportunities for true rest Jesus was giving me and complaining when I didn’t get to rest the way I wanted.
Through this Gospel passage, Jesus is opening my heart to the ways He would like to share rest with me today. It means I won’t make as quick progress in my various projects as I would like to, but these projects aren’t the things that will bring me or my family to heaven. They are good for refreshment, but they are not the be-all-end-all of my time here on earth.
TRUE REST IN CHRIST
True rest comes from spending time with Jesus, talking with Him, and being present to His working in our daily life. It’s opening ourselves to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, prioritizing the best things that need to be achieved in our day, and trusting God to handle what is left. It’s sharing our hearts with our mother, Mary, and allowing her to guide us continually to the cross where we can share in Jesus’ sacrifice
of love.
Jesus knows what we need. Be it a full day at the beach or only a few minutes of quiet, hiding in the pantry from our loving families, He is there with you and will refresh and strengthen your soul for the next task ahead.
