MAX ON LIFE

128. Our family is exhausted. We run from one event to the next. How do we slow down?

Jesus understands. He knew the frenzy of life. People back-to-backed his calendar with demands. But he also knew how to step away from the game.

"Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place." (Luke 4:42)

Jesus placed the mob in the rearview mirror and ducked into a wildlife preserve, a hidden cove, a vacant building, a deserted place. Later in the verse Luke identifies the reason: "the crowd.... tried to keep Him from leaving them." People brought Jesus more than sick bodies and seeking souls. They brought him agendas Itineraries. Unsolicited advice. The herd of humanity wanted to set Jesus' course. "Heed us", they said. "We'll direct your steps."

They say the same to you. Look over your shoulder, my friend. The crowd is one step back. Moreover, they seem to know more about your life than you do. Where you should work. Whom you should marry. What you should study. They will lead your life if you allow them.

Jesus didn't. Follow his example.

Deserted need not mean desolate, just quiet. Simply a place to which you, like Jesus, depart. "Now when it was day, He departed." Depart presupposes a decision on the part of Jesus. "I need to get away. To think. To ponder To rechart my course." He determined the time, selected a place. With resolve, he pressed the pause button on his life.

God rested after six days of work, and the world didn't collapse. What makes us think it will if we do" (Or do we fear it won't?)

By: Max Lucado