Away

Went to look for him (1:36) 

As a young man I was a keen climber of roofs. At school you could shin up a particular drain pipe and find yourself atop the main corridor between the Grignon Hall and the classics department. It is surprising how much of a sense of freedom 10 feet of vertical height provides. We were lost in another world - that is until we discretely dropped to the ground right in front of a school prefect. Bless him, he hardly batted an eyelid and merely suggested it might be a good idea not to go up there again.

I wonder how happy Jesus was to be searched out. I suspect he was rather enjoying his freedom. When we read the gospels we often focus on the progression of new people Jesus meets and forget the continual presence of his apostles-to-be. It must have been lovely to escape them for a bit. 

Do we allow ourselves to escape enough? Oh I know for some life involves too much alone time, but for others there is not enough. We mustn't be ashamed of our need to get away even from our most loved ones. We all need a bit of me time - and of course a bit of just-me-and-God time.



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