“Jesus withdrew to a region near the wilderness” (John 11:54).
That simple act of withdrawal would be one of Jesus’ most profound sermons. His message to those nearest him was clear – we need time away from it all, to unwind and restart our engines. You will recall that John 11 tells the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. All within a few verses, he heard that Lazarus was sick, that he died, and then he raised him to new life. Talk about an exhausting day!
What Jesus did next is a lesson to us all – know when to withdraw, to get alone, to just relax.
Dr. Elyakim Kislev, a professor at the Hebrew University, suggests several reasons for alone time:
- You feel overwhelmed.
- You are burned out.
- You lack motivation.
- You are easily agitated.
- You are poor at self-care.
- You need hobbies.
- You need fresh dreams.
Recovery Step: You need time for yourself, time away from it all, time to withdraw. Set a time to do this, within the next few days.
