“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

In today’s social media-driven culture, it seems that everywhere we turn, we’ve got people and companies vying for our attention. A large number of companies are investing millions of dollars into engineering complex algorithms that detect patterns in our behavior so they can serve us the content they know will keep us engaged and coming back for more. Many social media marketing experts will tell you that, if you want to find popularity and financial success on your favorite app, then you have to invest the time, energy, and resources to learn the algorithm and then adjust your approach accordingly. You also have to be prepared for when the algorithm changes (which is regularly) if you want to “keep up”. Whether creating content or consuming it, it seems that many of us have found ourselves caught up in an algorithm in one way or the other, oftentimes without even realizing it. Sometimes it’s not until we see the evidence of it – burnout, anxiety, depression, etc. – that we stop to give it much thought. While social media certainly has its benefits, the truth of the matter is that, if we’re not careful we can get so caught up in an algorithm that we miss out on experiencing God’s rhythm.

In Mark 6, the disciples were exhausted from constantly engaging with and serving so many people. They were so busy that they didn’t even have time to stop and grab a bite to eat. Jesus, noticing their fatigue, invites them to step away from the crowd and go to a secluded place with Him to get some rest. It was an invitation to experience His rhythm differently. The only way to truly learn someone’s rhythm is to spend time with them. They had spent time with Him while serving people and now was their opportunity to spend time with Him in rest. I don’t know about you, but I’m so grateful that He extends the same invitation to us that He extended to the disciples to spend time with Him in rest. The more we make that part of our routine, the more we can trade the culture’s algorithm for His rhythm, which marries productivity with peace. Spending time in His presence, allows us to experience the type of refreshment that only He can offer us. He’s lovingly and graciously extended the invitation to us. It’s simply up to us to accept it.