When was the last time you were able to sit, take a moment, and breathe?

When were you last able to feel content with your surroundings?

Recently, I realized the importance of having time for myself. Not in a selfish way, but in a way that helps me to regroup the thousands of questions, answers, and thoughts that swirl my head.

During my summer, I had many days in the warm sun where I was able to just relax. This was very rare for me because I am a person who has learned to be in constant motion. But who told me I needed to be always in motion?

I did not find myself in big crowds daily, or moving from activity to activity. My body adapted to the relaxing, quiet days over the summer.

So there I was, on the first day of this fall semester thinking I could handle my workload; however, I did not know I was in for a lot more than I could actually handle.

I do believe God pushes us out of our comfort zones, but I don’t think He wants us to be stretched too thin.

In the book of Mark, chapter 8, Jesus’ disciples witness one of the thousands of miracles Jesus performs. There was a large crowd that had been traveling to hear Jesus and they were hungry.

“Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.’” – Mark 8: 1-3.

The emphasis I take from this is Jesus’ knowledge of what they were able to handle. Of course, the story goes on in Mark, and Jesus feeds thousands with just a few fish and loaves of bread, but He only did it because He knew his followers would collapse if He didn’t.

We, as humans, can only handle so much. Of course, God wants us to accomplish ‘xyz’ in life, but I am focusing on the how-do-we-get-there part. How can we accomplish these things if we can’t even walk five feet? Jesus knew that the people that traveled a long distance would not make it back home unless He feed them.

He says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.

I think God wants us to feel peace on a daily basis. He wants to feed us when we are about to collapse. He knows what motivates us, what irks us, or what even causes us to go off the edge.

As I mentioned before, I have recently realized the importance of having time to myself. If I am unable to get fed by God, I will collapse. If you look closely at the way humans operate in this world, we are constantly busy. We need to be able to help ourselves somewhere in the midst of it all. If we do not take a moment to recuperate each day for five minutes, an hour, or however long you know it takes to eat, we will collapse, and, unfortunately, then we may not be able to help others who are in need.

So take a moment, sit, breathe, and be fed. You deserve it.