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Acts 20:13 – Take a Hike
Has anyone ever told you to take a hike? What was your response?
Have you ever had one of those days? Or one of those weeks? Or even longer? After working all night, anyone would need to rest. Even the perpetual moving Paul, after preaching, teaching and talking all night, should need to rest.
An effective rest embraces all aspects of being human: physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. After pulling an all-nighter, Paul needed to travel from Troas to Assos, which was a thirty mile ride. Instead of snoozing on the ship, Paul walks there – a 20 mile walk – alone. Why? Obviously he wanted and needed it. Loosely speaking, Paul took a hike! (Acts 20:13)
Why did Paul need to walk? Personally, I think Paul was too tired too rest, so instead he decided to rest. Huh? Life is often paradoxical, isn’t it?
How can we be too tired to rest? That, my friend, is the difference between being only physically fatigued versus being physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally exhausted. We’ve all been there. We’re just too tired to sleep. The body pleads, but the mind does not please. The body is ready to rest, but the mind is ready to run. We are drained physically, but filled up and maybe fed up emotionally. Resting is not restful, so we need to find another way to rest. That is what I think Paul did. He needed to rest by getting away, by taking a hike.
Life is like a rubber band. We’ve all stretched and stretched rubber bands, seeing the rubber narrow in width, followed by the rubber gradually and partially coming apart, yet still together, becoming discolored and bumpy instead of smooth. Keep this up and finally one of the weaker areas snaps! And if someone is in the way…Ouch!
Have you ever felt stretched to the point of breaking apart, but you haven’t quite snapped yet? Have you ever been “on edge,” maybe even “on the edge?” That’s when our personality flaws, the bumps in our character, so to speak, start to emerge. That’s when our world starts to become discolored – we become blue with sadness; or red with anger; or green with envy. Our temper separates from our temperament; our demeanor turns to meanness; our mouth takes a hike without our mind coming along. We need a break before we break.
For some, they stretch until nearly breaking, and need to seek professional help. Nothing wrong with that. That breaking point can lead to a breakdown, a nervous breakdown. That breaking point can result in clinical depression.
For common, everyday stress, before that big break happens, what should we do? Let me suggest we all take a hike!
1) Take a Hike from Others – We should do what Paul did, which interestingly is exactly what Jesus did on many occasions. All four gospels record Jesus going to the mountain alone (Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12; John 6:15). When my wife needs to be alone, she calls this “going to the mountain.” Good and godly Christians help others, and tend to constantly be on the go – just like Jesus and Paul. But we can still be good and godly if we take time for ourselves. Paul did; and more importantly, Jesus did. This need not be deemed selfish, for notice the second great commandment: You shall love your neighbor…but the command does not stop there, does it? You shall love your neighbor as yourself. What we do for others we should be willing to do for ourselves.
2) Take a Hike from This World – Each time Jesus went to the mountain he prayed. Jesus wanted to be alone from others, but not alone from God. Of all the amazing aspects of the Divine becoming Human, I am humbled that Jesus needed to rest. Something so simple and yet so sublime; life is tough. This world is wearying and wearisome. So may I suggest we take a hike from this world through prayer and enter into the sublimity of heaven’s rest?
3) Take a Hike…Literally – Huh? Isn’t Christianity spiritual and not physical? Absolutely! But a Christian is spiritual, physical, mental and emotional. We have to take care of all of our being. The world neglects the spiritual part of man, and too often we Christians neglect the physical. It has been proven that exercise reduces stress. How? It releases endorphins. Why? Because that is how God made us! Do you think a 20 mile walk, or even a two mile walk could you give time to be by yourself and pray plus “do your body good?” Exercise is more than good for the body; it is good for you: physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
So the next time you are stressed out, needing to rest, needing to be alone, don’t feel guilty; just follow Jesus and Paul. But remember, don’t forget to pray! And oh, yea…Take a hike!
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