Time Out

But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray (Luke 5:16)

Jesus frequently withdrew from crowds to pray, it was a continual practice of regularly withdrawing and praying, prioritizing his ministry over meeting every demand. I recently deactivated my Facebook for 7 days, I needed a time out. I have found that occasionally it is important for me to turn off social media to allow myself time to get closer to God. Sometimes I have things that just don’t make sense to me or my heart may be hurt or feeling like I need a little help getting through some issue, this time I was at a loss for words and didn’t know why. Proverbs 4:23 instructs us to protect our hearts, which means to set boundaries to protect our mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. So, in order for me to be the best I can be at the things God has called me too I sometimes, like Jesus need a time out to pray, to seek Him. Galatians 6:5; Each of us has to bear our own load. Our actions and choices allows us to set limits/boundaries on the things that are getting in the way of us spending that crucial “time out” with God, without feeling guilted. Setting boundaries is not unkind; it is a form of self-respect. Before crucial decisions or during high stress times, Jesus would withdraw to maintain his connection with God the Father and avoid the noise. I to have found that just deactivating social media is not enough, it sometimes requires not talking to anyone during that time too. A real sabbatical experience. You may find people that can’t understand that, but even the disciples in Mark 1:36-37 said to Jesus, “everyone is looking for you.” Peter and the others only see the needs so they don’t understand why Jesus went away to pray. Once Jesus has finished he is then able to go on and do what the Father has called him too and I too can do the same. Immediately after the time out I heard exactly what the Lord wanted me to say. My intentionality for writing had not left me, but I knew I could not write without His leading and now I was prepared once again. You see, being intentional about “EVERYTHING” in my life, means “EVERYTHING!” I matter, my health matters, my sanity matters, relationships that don’t question my actions and choices of what is best for me matters, my calling matters, most importantly what God says to me matters most. Jesus is my example, when I don’t know what to do; what would Jesus do? He took a time out and prayed, he set boundaries and I did the same. Just being Intentional.