How do you get away?
The Buffalo Bills Training Camp will begin on July 26th at St. John Fisher. As a local Rochester, NY resident, I have heard the conversation online, on the radio, and throughout town about the training camp relocating back to Buffalo.
The crux of the debate of moving or staying in Rochester boils down to efficiency. Remaining in Buffalo would create less hassle of moving player, staff, and equipment. Coach McDermott indicated a positive of having the camp at Rochester because players lived in college dorm rooms (read more here). They spent more time gelling as a team and ultimately went to the playoffs after a seventeen-year drought.
Whether the Bills keep their training camp in Rochester or Buffalo, they teach a remarkable spiritual insight: the powerful rhythm of getting away.
The Gospel writers wanted their readers to know that Jesus had a rhythm of getting away by himself or with his disciples. Look at these examples in Mark’s Gospel:
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35-38
“Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed.” Mark 3:7
“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31
The spiritual rhythm of getting away invites us to break away from our routines and creates space for us to hear from God. In our culture of efficiency, the idea of prayer, silence, stillness, and solitude feels foreign. Getting away provides a different environment for our relationships with other people like Jesus and the disciples.
What could getting away mean for you personally? The simple daily act of taking a walk or sitting in a quiet place could invite you to move from your own thoughts to listen to Jesus. Perhaps, even taking a few hours on a trail or along the lake might allow you to experience spiritual disciplines in a new way.
What could getting away mean for your group, team, or family? Like Jesus with the disciples or the Buffalo Bills, the change in routine opens the way for new conversations. It creates an atmosphere to discover people’s dreams and their stories. The unstructured time offers opportunities to connect with each other.
How will you get away today? How will you get away this week? Who might God lead you to spend time with out of your routine?
Photo by Andrew McElroy