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We all have busy lives.
Believe me, I know.
I am a mama to 5 little humans. Real live humans, who require constant help with tying shoes, washing hair, packing lunches, and the never-ending task of helping with homework and projects (and taking LEGO pieces apart).
I am also a wife to a man in ministry at a church, getting his doctorate in seminary, as well as taking his music on the road. Not to mention my own musical endeavors and side business making jewelry. We are a family with a full schedule, no doubt.
But that doesn't negate the fact that I have a real need for a personal, DAILY relationship with Christ. Being busy doesn't nullify the fact that my personal relationship needs daily cultivating to make it thrive.
I've heard preachers compare our relationship with Christ to that of a spouse or best friend. Just like our physical relationships, in order for this spiritual relationship with our Heavenly Father to keep going or to stay healthy, it needs daily work. We need to be a good listener. We need to be available. We need to talk to them daily. We need constant communication through our changing directions in life or we will end up on different pages.
We can't expect our relationship to remain healthy by THINKing about Him a couple of times throughout the day.
God knows our schedules and the season of life we are in, and some days life just gets the best of us. But we CANNOT get in a habit of skipping this life-giving time with the Lord. We simply cannot let busyness become our excuse for why we get too tired to go to church to worship with the body or get up early enough to give a tithe of our time to the one and only creator.
I know our kids need to see us in the Word, but the truth we pour into their lives while playing, teaching, correcting and loving them, should be an overflow of our personal time with Christ.
There used to be a time when I could have a solid 2 hours for a quiet time, digging through commentaries and word-searching until the sun went down. That time ceased about 10 years ago. And that is ok. It's not about how LONG we spend with the Lord. It's about our heart and the time we sacrifice to spend with Him.
I'm here to encourage you to carve out that time, no matter what, to be still before the throne.
What does that look like for me? Well, I'm glad you asked. 🙂
Because 4 of my 5 kids are in school now (I no longer homeschool at this time) and they don't have to get up until 8am, I get up around 6:30 to get in some quality time with God and prep my house (and heart) for the day (make my bed, get breakfast on the table, pack lunches, open up the curtains, “office work,” and make my daily to-do list).
Our church is going through a book called The Story and I am following along with that on my own. There are excellent reading plans and devotions through She Reads Truth that I follow along with.
I also have a couple of books that I dive into when I've got the time. I like to cover all the areas I'm currently in: marriage, personal spiritual walk, and parenting. Right now I'm reading “In This House We Will Giggle” by Courtney DeFeo and “Spirit Hunger” by Gari Meacham.
The Word of God is given to guide us through EVERY season and prayer is the open communication with our Heavenly Father. For me, prayer doesn't end with an “amen” before the kids get up. It is a continual conversation throughout the day in every area.
Our time with God isn't just a “quiet time” we set aside, it is an overflow our kids see. It is the love we show our neighbors. It is the grace we show our slow clerk at the grocery store. It is the smile we give the person who just cut us off. It is the people we open up our home to.
Let's stop making excuses for why we aren't cultivating our spiritual relationship, because those moments are what fill us up and will naturally spill over into every other area of life.
