I worked outside this morning.

In the warmth of a pre-summer Florida day, I moved plants and dug in the dirt. I checked on growing fruit and vegetables, and I relished the quiet interrupted only by the intermittent songs of the birds.

It was a good morning.

While my body may rise in protest over the use of flabby muscles, my soul is the better for the time outside.

For a while, I ‘came apart’. Away from the usual errands and ‘to do’ lists. Away from expectations and responsibilities. Away from the constant chatter of this world, and I communed with God.

This communion was more than typical ‘I need’ petitions. It was a time that I enjoyed being with Him and talking with Him. It was a time of praise and thanksgiving, and, yes, we talked about a few needs as well. It was time well spent.

There is an old saying, “If you don’t take time to ‘come apart’, you will simply come apart.”

There is a lot of truth there.

Jesus knew this. In Mark 6:31, He called His disciples to come apart:

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

They were doing important work. People were being healed. People were hearing the good news of Jesus. People were receiving hope and grace. Life was being poured into those all around them,

and they were growing tired.

As they ministered with Jesus, they were giving out. They needed some quiet time to take in the resources that Jesus offered.

Notice that He called them into a desert place. It was not a vacation resort filled with lots of distractions and things to do. There was no television or news show rumbling and grumbling in the background. He called them to a place of quiet and rest.

He was calling them to a place where they could be still and refocus.

Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God.                 

There is a time for quiet in the Christian life. There is a time to separate from the demands of the world and focus on God Himself.

Jesus, Who is God, modeled this when He was here on Earth.

Matthew 14:23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

If Jesus needed to ‘come apart’, you can bet we do.

I do not know what you are facing today, but if your schedule is overwhelming and your ‘to do’ list is weighing your heart down, it might be a good time for you to ‘come apart’.

There are many ways to accomplish this.

• Spend five minutes outside, fully focused on the majesty of the God Who created this world.
• Drive home a different way and stop to enjoy a view or a place of beauty. Thank God for His creation.
• Read a psalm out loud, and praise God with the words of the psalmist.
• Take a walk and talk with God as you walk.
• Make a list of things that you thank God for.
• Plant a flower as you pray that God will grow you into a person of beauty for Him.
• Bow your head, breathe in and out, and thank God for your very breath.

I cannot say for sure, but you may find such relief in your quiet seeking of God’s presence that you make it a habit.

‘Come apart’ today, before you simply come apart.

Isaiah 30:15 ¹⁵ For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

Isaiah 25: ³ Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. ⁴ Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:

Photo – Spring Verbena, Beth Mims