Sleep or don't sleep?

The Apostles came back from teaching people about Jesus. It had been a long trip, and they were tired. "Let's go rest by ourselves," Jesus said. But lots of people followed them. Jesus felt sorry for those who wanted to learn from Him: They seemed like sheep without a shepherd to lead them. So He sat down and started teaching them about God.

When you're tired, it's good to have another person stop you from doing too much. Kids know all about being overtired:

* Maybe you have to get up for school or swimming lessons tomorrow; but if it was up to you, you'd stay up late watching TV anyway!

* Maybe you see your tired mother get up at night to take care of you when you're sick.

* Maybe you work until you're exhausted on a project like mowing an older person's lawn, just because they need it.

In the Gospel story (Mark 6:30-34), the Apostles must have felt as tired as you. They had traveled to lots of towns to make sure everyone knew about Jesus, and they walked everywhere they went. Even Jesus said, "Let's take a break and sleep!"

But like a kid who wants to stay up for a good TV show or to finish the lawn, even Jesus and the Apostles also got tempted to forget about sleeping when something better came along. People needed to learn about God more than the Apostles needed to sleep.

Sometimes it's more important to get some rest, and sometimes it's worth it to stay up. Like Jesus, you have to decide: Will staying up mean helping another person -- or will it just make you overtired? The people who love you can probably tell you!

(7/17/03) [[In-content Ad]]