Conversation Point

In This Moment

Crowds and Lonely Places

Christmas is a long way off, but a friend of mine works retail, and has already begun to mention gearing up for fall and back to school That kind of talk is only a few sentences shy of the fall trilogy: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. That equates to extra shipments, extra merchandising, extra people. The holidays meld together into one massive crowd that won't begin to diminish until well after January clearance sales.

In rereading the Gospel of Mark recently, I was taken aback by how many times Jesus was confronted by such crowds of people that he literally could not escape them. Even his disciples were overwhelmed by the masses of people following Jesus into the mountains, to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and even into the homes of people who had offered them respite and repast around their own tables. The gospel readings clearly express Jesus' compassion for the crowds, doing literally everything in his power to meet their needs, spiritual and physical. Mark 6: 30-31, in an equally clear fashion, tells us, "The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest awhile.' For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure, even to eat." The tireless workers, eager to share their experiences, also needed a rest and nourishment to refresh their bodies and souls.

Interesting, though, is how Jesus is quoted as using the phrase, "lonely place," as the balance to the crushing crowds demanding their attention. When was the last time you heard "lonely place" used in a positive way, something to seek after? Not in our culture. We are so geared to being surrounded by people we are barely equipped to be alone in our cars for five minutes without the radio or CD player running. When is the last time you left your cell phone off and at home? We firmly believe that we have to be accessible to everybody in our lives all the time.
But "lonely" is the word Jesus is credited with, and I believe is what he meant. Lonely, in this scenario, is an opportunity, a gift, not a punishment or a dismissal. Lonely equals privacy, balance, breathing space. Lonely is the recognition that we cannot always give, but need to receive unto ourselves the gift of our own selves.

I believe this is also a direct reflection of Jesus' answer to the religious leaders when questioned about the greatest commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."

We are guided to love God, ourselves and our neighbor, in that order. We miss a beat in the rhythm of life when we leave ourselves out of the song. We each deserve to find some time to be lonely.

Until next time, God's Blessings.

posted by Cory L. Kemp @ 12:44 PM