Jesus withdraws, as do I

There are 320 references to Jesus withdrawing in the Gospels. As an example, Luke 5:16 reads, "But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer."

He withdrew to the seaside, to the wilderness, to the mountain tops. He withdrew from crowds, from small groups. He withdrew.

When the stuff got to be too much, he withdrew. When Jesus heard John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. After feeding the 5,000, he withdrew to a boat to be alone. He withdrew to Bethsaida after the disciples had come back all full of themselves after their first evangelistic endeavor. He withdrew.

Why is this important?

For me, it's about attention to the inner me, and the other...God, Jehovah, Jesus.

Jesus said, "Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. ''Mark 6: 31''

 I don`t know how this translates for you, but for me it means that I need to spend some time alone with Him to get my mind in tune and my will surrendered each day. For me, the morning is the best time. Then sometimes, I need to spend some extended time with Him . . . a half-day or a day at least once a month. When I first thought about doing that, it was kind of a daunting thing.

I thought: The next time I have a free day, I`ll spend it alone with God.

Do you know how long I waited for that day to come? And then I had to write it down on a calendar. I was reading this week that if you live to be seventy years old or so, you will get twenty-five thousand days. You will have twenty-five thousand of these jars. It would be ironic to get to the end of them and say: I never had a chance to spend time with you, Lord. Just never did.

In a couple of weeks, we're going, almost as a total family, to Orlando. I must admit I do so with trepidation. I haven't really been on a vacation in a couple years, and I'm in a rut. I know it. Probably everyone around me knows it. But still, going for eight days anywhere on the planet seems a lot to me. Dogs. Cats. Bills. Worries remain here.

But I also know that if I don't withdraw from those things, somehow, someway, and spend some alone time with He who loves me most, I'm doing no one any good. I doubt it will come at the top of a roller-coaster, but perhaps it will come when I stay by the pool one day and dream of things to come.

What say you all? Are you withdrawing enough with Him? Withdrawing period? Taking some alone time? Resting properly?