Just Show Up: A Guide for Exhausted Christians

Escape Escapism

Escapism is the tendency to engage in activities that prevent you from being present in your own life. Why do we escape? Well, at the risk of stating the obvious, life is hard. And there’s an even more powerful force driving our escapism. It’s simply this: We’re thirsty. We yearn for connection. We long for wholeness. We dream of living a life of meaning and adventure. If those desires go unfulfilled, we turn to cheap replacements. We opt for synthetic transcendence.

All throughout the Old Testament we see the Israelites turning from God to worship idols. At one point, God delivers this stinging indictment through the mouth of His prophet Jeremiah: “[My people] have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water” (Jer. 2:13).

Only worshiping the one true God can quench their spiritual thirst. The cisterns of idolatry will only leave them parched. We might shake our heads at how often the ancient Israelites fell into idolatry, yet we aren’t so different. Yeah, we probably don’t literally bow before a stone deity, but whenever we turn to something else for the satisfaction that only God can provide, we’re doing the same thing. We’re digging our own cisterns. And like God warned, they cannot hold water.

If you find yourself checking out, examine what’s behind it. It may be that your life is hard and you’re finding ways to check out. If that’s the case, think through how you might swap out escapist behaviors for healthy ones. In general, escapism takes you out of the world; healthy habits drive you more deeply into it.

Most importantly, make sure you’re turning to the right place to quench your spiritual thirst. Pray. Read Scripture. Gather with fellow believers. Get out in creation. Rest. These kinds of habits will help restore your soul and nurture that vital connection to your Creator. There is a source of living water that promises to quench the deepest thirst of your soul.

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:37).

Jesus’ invitation echoes down through the centuries, to every person with parched lips and a thirsty soul. If you find yourself tired of digging dry cisterns, it may be that you need to hear His invitation again. “Come to me and drink.”

Showing up for others is crucial. People need your presence. Your family, your church, your community. But without filling up on the water Jesus offers, you’ll come to them dry and empty. You won’t have much to offer. You’ll resort to escapist behaviors that distract your mind and numb your soul.

So, take Jesus up on His invitation. Drop the dry cisterns, come to Him, and drink.

This devotional by Moody Publishers is available at Bible.com.