Sometimes You Need to Step Away
I’ve been thinking lately about how easy it is for life—and especially ministry—to become a routine. There’s always another Sunday coming. Another message to prepare. Another person who needs something. Another meeting, another decision, another problem to solve. And none of those things are bad. In fact, many of them are things God has called us to do. But even good things can drain us if we never take time to step away, reconnect, and refuel.
Jesus modeled this.
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:16
I love that word often. Jesus didn’t wait until He was completely exhausted before He stepped away. Withdrawal was part of His discipline. Sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to do the same.
We’re getting ready to take a trip to Jamaica with some friends, and I’m looking forward to the beach, the food, the scenery, and everything else that comes with it. But I think what I’m looking forward to most is simply time. Time to laugh. Time to have conversations that aren’t squeezed between appointments. Time to reconnect with friends. Time to reconnect with each other. Time to sit somewhere without feeling like we have to be doing something. And time to let God refill some places in us that ministry and everyday life have emptied.
There’s something powerful about getting outside of our normal routines. When you change your surroundings, sometimes you begin to notice things you’ve stopped noticing. You listen differently. You think differently. You appreciate people differently. And sometimes you hear God differently. Maybe that’s why God built Sabbath into the rhythm of life. Rest isn’t the opposite of productivity. Rest is part of God’s design for sustaining us.
So here’s the thought I’m carrying with me: You don’t have to feel guilty for stepping away from what God has called you to do if stepping away helps you return healthier to what God has called you to do. This trip isn’t about escaping ministry. It’s about refueling for ministry. It’s about investing in friendships, making memories, laughing a little more, slowing down, and allowing our souls to catch up with our lives.
So maybe the question for all of us over coffee today is: When was the last time you intentionally stepped outside your routine—not because you were quitting something, but because you wanted to reconnect with the people you love and allow God to refill you?
Sometimes one of the most spiritual things we can do is simply sit down, share a meal, laugh with some friends, watch a sunset and remember that God is present there too.