Sometimes, life and ministry are so full it’s challenging to take time to reflect. We move from one task or event to the next, one responsibility to another, without pausing to ponder the work God is doing in and through us. We carry the weight of our work unable to share the load with another because, of course, that is why we moved overseas…to fill a role left void, to meet a need no one had yet met.

Yet, it is good to pause and reflect, not just on the work God has called us to do, but, more importantly, on the work God is doing within us. How are our souls doing? In what way is our faith being challenged and growing? Are we heeding the counsel and conviction of the Holy Spirit? Are we allowing the Spirit to comfort us and draw us near to our Father?

Luke 5:15-16 says, “Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

Jesus’ life and ministry were full (and getting fuller!) so he took time to be alone and pray. He knew how important it was to reflect and revive himself with prayer in solitude. We know this truth as well, but in our humanity can find it difficult to follow Jesus’ example. We see the needs and endless ministry opportunities before us. We feel the eyes of supporters watching us in hopeful expectation for the work to be done. We compare ourselves to others in similar situations. The temptation to keep going is all too real.

But our need to pull away, to retreat, to set aside daily time for reflection is a bigger reality. And as we do this, we can pray for more workers to join us as Jesus instructed his disciples to do when he felt compassion for the crowds (Matthew 9:36-38). Because our journey is not just about the work we do, but, more importantly, the work being done within us.