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If your household is anything like mine, you have lots of electronics that need recharging every day: cell phones, tablets, computers; handheld games, earbuds, smart watches; e-readers and EV vehicles. We have rechargeable battery packs so we can recharge our device batteries later!

In this, art – or technology — imitates life. All of us need a good night’s sleep, and adequate rest contributes to a healthier body and mind, increased energy and focus, and an amiable mood. Put another way: life is better when we have taken time to recharge our batteries.

The problem is, we often don’t rest well. We jam our days so full that we get less sleep than we should. Beyond sleep habits, we can fail to attend to other aspects of rest: when was the last time you were fully unplugged from your job, letting the e-mails go unchecked and the text messages go unanswered? When on vacation, we can be tempted to run ourselves ragged with activities, events, and scheduled ‘fun.’ And even if we rest our bodies, we can neglect other areas of life that need recharging, like relationships and spirituality. We need intentional time with those who matter to us, whether our significant other, our children, parents, closest friends, or God himself: making space for these relational connections can build trust and closeness while triggering chemical responses in our bodies that lead to calm and feelings of security.

Simply put, we all need recharging. Even Jesus did!

In Mark 6, Jesus is exhausted. He had been on a whirlwind preaching tour of the Sea of Galilee coastal region. He had faced pushback from folks who should have supported him: the people in his hometown who had watched him grow up. He had prepared his disciples and initiated an ambitious ministry with them in the region, sending them out in pairs and helping them process what they had experienced when they got back. He had received the news that his cousin and, in some ways, human mentor, John the Baptist, had been executed by the state. And we find out that so many people are coming and going that Jesus couldn’t even find time to eat, much less rest and recharge. So in Mark 6:31, he says to his disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Even Jesus, we learn, needed to recharge. If he did, don’t we?

My prayer for you is, sometime before this summer ends, that you will find space to truly rest and recharge your batteries. Take some time alone. Free up some time where nothing is expected or required. Carve out space for someone you love. And, while you’re at it, free up an hour or two for God. You might just be amazed at how refreshed and energized you feel — and how much better life is.

Rev. Dr. J. Adam Tyler is the Senior Pastor for Farmville Baptist Church and he can be reached by email at pastor@farmvillebaptist.org.