June 4, 2025 Devo

Do you ever feel like this? I’ll bet there are a WHOLE BUNCH of teachers who feel this way right now! By the end of summer, there will be a whole bunch of parents who will be right there with them!! Let’s be honest, sometimes we just want to get away from it all. Sometimes we get over-committed. Sometimes we’re in the midst of tense times at work, home, or school. Sometimes it’s the mounting pressure of the expectations we feel from all of these people around us. Sometimes it’s just the exhaustion of what has felt like a difficult time that will never end. Whatever the case, we want to GO. Somewhere. Anywhere. We just want to go away. And there are times we need to do exactly that. Just. Get. Away. But what about when we can’t? What are our “wings,” and how do we find our “wilderness” when we can’t physically leave? The answer? We find a different way to “go!”
Go for A Moment. I’m a power-napper. I can stop, close my door, close my eyes, and shut down my mind for 10-15 minutes, and it makes me feel great. It doesn’t take a long rest to find some refreshment. If napping doesn’t work for you, take a moment, put on your headphones, and lose yourself in your favorite worship music. Go for a short walk. Moving your body has a wonderful way of relaxing the mind. Go outside and watch the sunset. I know most of us can’t take off for the mountains or the beach, but I think most people would be surprised at how much giving themselves a 10-minute vacation every day would do.
Go to A Friend. “Bear one another’s burdens” is a great command to live by. A lot of times, the stress we feel becomes pressurized by keeping it all inside. God gave us one another to share our stresses, share our struggles, and share our frustrations. Cultivate relationships with safe people who will give you a shoulder when you need one. The right friend, the right listening ear, or the right prayer partner is sometimes just the vacation you need. You can return the favor when it’s their time to get away!
Go to God. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your cares on God because He cares about you.” God understands what you’re going through. But He also wants to be a part of what you’re going through. It’s funny, but I’ve found that we often move AWAY from God in times of stress, rather than TOWARDS Him. If we prayed even one-tenth as much as we worried, we WOULDN’T BE SO WORRIED! Let God be your Mountain Cabin. Let God be your Beach Chair. Let God be your oasis when you’re tired, weary, and worn. Need some wings? Open His Word, and let it lift you. Open your heart and let Him breathe into you. When you can’t “go away,” you can always go to Him. He’ll give you REST. That’s God’s Word for you today.