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A Closer Walk

Quiet Moments

By Grace Fox

“After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone” (Matthew 14:23, NIV).

Jeanette volunteered to cook for a week at the summer camp where she’d registered her oldest son. While there, she spent her days baking and preparing meals, and her evenings doing whatever she pleased. For the third consecutive evening, she settled into a lawn chair and opened a novel.

Aaaahh… bliss! she thought. At home, I can only dream of doing this. She recalled her last month’s schedule and shook her head. No wonder cooking for 150 campers feels like a vacation to me!

Class parties and carpooling had cluttered Jeanette’s calendar during the last month of school. When school ended, her church’s annual five-day soccer camp began. She coached, led the worship sessions, and helped host a windup barbecue for the soccer players and their parents.

When the next Monday morning dawned, she loaded her three boys into the family vehicle and drove to a friend’s house where she helped lead a vacation Bible school for five days. The following weekend brought invitations to five barbecues for various functions. And somewhere in the busyness, Jeanette celebrated her wedding anniversary and canned 21 quarts of cherries.

Jeanette arrived at the camp exhausted and wondering how she’d cope in the kitchen. Her worries eased when the cook explained the schedule. She took advantage of every free minute, relishing quiet reflective time on the lodge’s deck. She reveled in the novelty of visiting with new friends and reading a book uninterrupted. And she chose to relax without feeling guilty!

When the week ended, Jeanette felt rested physically and refreshed mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. The respite sent her home better equipped to parent her busy boys with more patience, more love, and a renewed sense of humor.

Fortunate woman, eh? Not many of us have the freedom or luxury of doing what she did, but most women need a break. We lead hectic lifestyles—working in and outside our homes, serving on committees, maintaining a yard and house, spending time with family and friends, and raising children.

Too often we feel guilty for not accomplishing everything on our daily to-do list. Stress and fatigue drain the joy from our spirits, and before long, we’re snippin’ and snappin’ at whoever crosses our path. If we’re not careful, we go from being busy to broken.

Jesus understood the importance of drawing apart to prevent falling apart. A typical day found Him teaching in the synagogue, casting out demons, and healing the sick. On one occasion, an entire city gathered at his door, waiting for Him to minister to the needy (Mark 1:21-34). In the midst of His busyness, Jesus escaped to a mountain alone or with several disciples. Scripture also says that “very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35, NIV). Then He went out and ministered again.

If Jesus sought times of refreshing, so should we! And we shouldn’t feel guilty doing so. We might not have the freedom to trade home and family responsibilities for a weeklong solitary retreat, but we can take mini-breaks.

We can rest on the couch for 15 minutes while the kids play. We can sip tea while sitting on the back porch or read for 30 minutes before falling asleep at night. We can exchange child care one afternoon a month—not to catch up on unfinished projects but to spend three or four hours pursuing a hobby or taking a walk.

Note that Jesus’ quiet time included prayer. He drew strength for His work through communion with His Heavenly Father. The same principle applies to us. Regular time communing with God strengthens us for our tasks. It helps keep our perspective right. Those quiet moments in His presence keep us healthy and refreshed so that we might best reflect His love to those with whom we have contact every day.

GRACE FOX is a popular conference and retreat speaker and a widely read author. She and her husband are former missionaries to Nepal and now serve in a Christian camp ministry.

Excerpted from 10-Minute Time Outs for Busy Women, © 2005 by Grace Fox. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Used by Permission.