When I was 12 years old my family went on a trip across Germany and Austria. Traveling with my family was never a great experience. My dad only wanted to visit “educational” places, we always got lost (this was during a time before GPS and cell phones were widely used), and my parents spent most of the time in the car arguing.
One day we were driving on a highway near the Austrian Alps when my dad noticed that the gas tank was almost empty. My dad being the smart engineer that he is, forgot to put gasoline in the car before we left for the day. To make things worse a heavy fog was rolling in and visibility was close to zero and there were no signs of a gas station nearby. Regrettably, my sister and I laughed, while my mom and dad’s anxiety went into overdrive.
Photo by Christopher Lemercier from Unsplash.com
I remember my dad losing it and accepting the reality that we might be stranded on a remote highway in the Austrian Alps with no means of communication. Nothing short of a miracle, just as the car was stuttering, a gas station came into view at the side of the highway.
Similarly, if we are not proactive in our spiritual life we can feel like we are running on fumes. We can easily be overcome by anxiety, fear, and unnecessary exhaustion. How do we keep our spiritual tanks at a good level?
In Mark’s Gospel Jesus tells his disciples, “The Sabbath was made for people, and not people for the Sabbath.” The Sabbath is the day of rest for Jews, where they will strictly abstain from major forms of work.
If we want to keep our spiritual tanks at a good level, we need to take rest seriously. That means periodically abstaining from all distractions and connecting ourselves to the source of our being, which is God, so that we can refule. Rest is not mindlessly scrolling through social media, but it is intentionally physically resting while focusing only on God.
Thinking back to that family trip, it’s funny how something so simple as forgetting to refuel the car led to a domino effect of problems. Similarly, if we neglect our soul we can find ourselves in an unnecessary space.
Let us pray,
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Father God, I thank you for loving and sustaining me. Have mercy on me for the times I neglect my soul and fail to recognize your wonderful deeds. Lord God, you are gracious and merciful; you are mindful of the deepest desires of my heart and you are faithful in your promises. I am often tired, overburdened and lost. Lord, restore my soul and inspire me with the hope and confidence to conquer my fears. I pray this in Your mighty name. Amen.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
