LOOSEN THE BOW
Jesus once said (Mark 6:31), “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” Many of us get run down because we stay wound up, and this is one of the reasons why vacation and leisure times, however brief, are important.
According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some children. He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in such frivolous activity. Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, “Now, answer the riddle, if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bow implies.”
The man looked at it for several moments, but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. [Do you?] Aesop explained, “If you keep a bow always bent, it will eventually break; but if you let it go slack, it will be fit when you need to use it.”
We are like that too! That’s why we all need to take time to rest. And that is why, in Mark 6:31, Jesus prescribed time off for His wearied disciples after they had returned from a prolonged period of ministry.
So during these summer months, try to take His example seriously, perhaps even with a summer vacation. Let it be a time to relax physically and renew yourself emotionally and spiritually. You will be at your best for the Lord if you have taken time to “loosen the bow.”
If our body, soul, and spirit are to function at their best, time is needed for renewal—time for leisure, time for rest.
Devotedly your pastor,
Bill Blanchard