Happy Friday! Fridays make me want to run away. Run away to the golf course, run away to the lake, or just run away to my recliner and relax. We all have moments when we want to run away from the stress of life and engage in some sort of activity that will rejuvenate us. However, I have discovered that most people return from their time of rest, relaxation, or retreat even wearier than when they left. Some people actually plan a day at home after their vacation to recover from their vacation. The truth is that we are not that good at really running away.

Jesus was an expert at running away. Luke 5:15 says, “But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”

Jesus slipped away often and we should follow His model. Here are three of the reasons Jesus felt obligated to run away.

1. Jesus knew His source. Jesus said more than once that everything He did was because He heard His heavenly Father telling Him what to do. It was in moments of retreat with His father that He received strength and spiritual nourishment to face the next stretch of ministry.

2. Jesus knew that what He would gain was more important than what He would miss. What keeps many people from slipping away and spending time with their heavenly Father is that they fear what they will miss. They are afraid they will miss an important call, some important news, or an important visitation from someone if they retreat for any time at all. Jesus knew that what He would gain in the moments of retreat was more valuable than what He might miss by being available to everyone else.

3. Jesus knew public ministry required private devotion. The more time you spend interacting with people, the more often you will need to run away and commune with God. People drain your spiritual tank. They don’t mean too, they just do. The only way to refuel is to return to a place where God can fill you again.

Today’s Challenge: How good are you at running away? Have you allowed your fear of missing out on lessor things cause you to miss out on the most important things? Realize its ok to run away when you are running toward something better.