How To Have A Crack-proof Spirit

Karen

Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

—Mark 6:31

I want honey in my tea! And a lemon slice too! Oh, and can I use Great-Grandma’s teacup, pretty please? I’ll be careful,” my then five-year-old daughter sweetly asked as we were enjoying our afternoon mother-daughter ritual.

Each day while her two baby brothers napped, we pulled out teacups and saucers from my china collection and sipped herbal tea while I read a book out loud to her.

That afternoon she was asking for permission to use an heirloom piece that had been passed down through four generations in my mother’s family. While I knew my little girl would be careful with the antique pink-and-white china cradled in her little hands, something else made me deny her request. I tried explaining it to her.

“Sweetheart, I know you’ll be careful, but we can’t have hot tea in that cup. It has cracks. See?”

I showed her a few hairline fractures on the side near the handle. It wasn’t cracked all the way through and could actually still hold water without leaking. However, if hot liquid were to be poured into it, the crack would give way, causing the cup to shatter.

There was just no way for the fractured piece to withstand the stress of a steaming beverage.

Our emotional lives are much the same. When we don’t allow time to rest and regroup from the stresses of life, we allow cracks in our spirit that make us emotionally and spiritually fragile. We keep going at breakneck speeds, rarely slowing down long enough to be refreshed.

Mark 6:31 highlights the fact that even Jesus Himself found it important to get away for a while, to slow down and cease activity. Jesus urged His disciples to get to a quiet place. In doing so, they would find rest. Being alone and quiet with Him would restore their weary spirits.

In our fast-paced society, we are rarely intentional about creating a quiet place and spending time resting. As a result, stress chisels away at us, creating tiny cracks that, although barely visible, could cause us to shatter under the go-go-go pressures of everyday life.

Let’s intentionally take time to slow down, get away, and rest.

If we make time to answer Jesus’ call to go away with Him to a quiet place, we can crack-proof our spirits, making them strong and rendering us ready to handle life. A few quiet moments spent with Him can help make us strong enough to fulfill God’s assignments for us in this season of life.

Dear Lord, help me intentionally carve out time to reconnect with You in a quiet spot. I know You are waiting. I want to seek Your face and find true rest. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Can you see any stress fractures in your life? Where can you carve space into your schedule for slowing down?