Getting Away for a while

Matthew 14:13
    Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.

   This event happened just after John the Baptist was beheadded and news about it reached Jesus.  This was His response.  Even our Lord needed to "get away" for a bit.  And from time to time He would do just that.  But it was often only for very little time, as the crowds usually followed Him like in this example.  Ministry is an on-going thing.  It NEVER stops, and it will not cease until our Lord Jesus comes again.  Therefore, I think it is entirely necessary for pastors and church workers to take some much needed time and "get away" from all of it.  Take a lesson from our Lord Jesus who saw the necessity and benefit of doing so, even if the crowds did not let Him go for long.
    What happens is that we church workers will not be good for anyone if we do not take care of ourselves.  And the thing is, we KNOW when we really need a vacation or just a couple days to re-energize and re-focus ourselves.  Then we can get right back into it, because it will be waiting for us. 
     In the example above the context continues in this way....Matthew 14:14
    When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.   Not only that, but this is the text where Jesus feeds the 5000.  But notice, after all had been fed and their physical needs taken care of, and 12 baskets full of leftovers collected, what Jesus does next....Matthew 14:23
    And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone... ew Jesus still took some time for Himself, to be alone, to pray. He did so because it was still important for Him to do that before He continued on with ministry.  It may have been delayed a bit by the crowds having followed Him, but He didn't just stop and forget about it and continue to go on ministering after He had dealt with these crowds.  He needed a little time to reflect, pray, and to be alone first.
     We pastors and church workers should take our cue from Him.  There may be things that interrupt our vacation or taking some time for ourselves, but it is still important for us to take that time, even if we deal with those things before we take it.
    If you haven't guessed I am trying to take a much needed vacation with my family, and have been running into lots of complications.  But I am going to just pause and reflect on these things and pray for God's strength and guidance and peace.
Thanks for reading and God bless!  Take some time for yourselves too!