Ugh, I know, I sound like a parent or some kind of authority figure. But I promise I won't talk down to you. Instead I'm approaching you as an equal - someone who equally struggles with making time to just be quiet and spend some time with God.
I get it. Priorities are no fun! What we want to do isn't always what we need to do...but what if they could be the same thing? Now I'm not talking about activities like paying taxes or going to the dentist. However, we should want to spend time with God. We certainly need to spend time with him. I know what you're thinking: "But I'm so busy!" or "There aren't enough hours in a day! I'm already sleep deprived as it is."
Nope, I'm not a mind reader. I'm just human and have used the exact same (and other even more pathetic) excuses. I'm guilty of putting TV shows, various social media accounts, my social life and my school work before my time with God. I bet if you evaluated your life you'd find some time wasting too.
It's easy to think that going to church is enough "God time" - especially if you're involved in additional church activities throughout the week - but to be honest, telling ourselves it's enough is lying and probably just an attempt to ease our guilt. We should spend time with God every day, as much as possible, and we shouldn't dread it. Spending time with Him shouldn't be another thing we can do to simply cross of the checklist (and trust me, I love a good checklist). We should look forward to time with God like we look forward to spending time with our friends, family, or significant other. We should yearn to be with him. I know when I'm excited about seeing someone I count down the minutes until I get to see them, and dread when I see our time together is coming to an end. But when I examine the instances where I spend time with God, I realize that's usually not the case.
We have plenty of time for God in our day, we just waste it. We live in an age where we carry around computers in our pockets...no wonder we're always getting distracted! Before you freak out, I'm not suggesting you rid your life of electronics or anything drastic like that (although for some, a fast from electronics does work well). I'm just suggesting that you take a second to reflect. Is there a time during your day you could minorly change and use to spend with God? What about when you're in the car? What if we turned off the Top 100 Pop playlist, 80s hairbands, or rock music and spent the time with God instead? I don't know about you but listening to Miley Cyrus or Queen doesn't make me feel particularly holy. What if just for one drive you shut the music off and spent that time praying? (Note: Make sure to pray with your eyes open...I don't want to be responsible for any car accidents!) If you're like me and you love music, flip the radio to your favorite Christian station and spend some time worshiping God on your daily commute. Some of my drives where I just belted out the songs, or listened to the lyrics, were the closest I've felt to God.
If you genuinely look, there are plenty of instances in your day where God will fit. Think of all God sacrificed for you...can't you give him 5 minutes? In fact, that's exactly what I'm going to ask you to do. Take the 5 Minute Challenge. I wouldn't ask you to do this if I hadn't done it myself; I did it once in high school and have decided it's time to start working at it again. It may seem inconvenient at first but I promise, it becomes routine very quickly - you may even find yourself adding time. Take the 5 Minute Challenge for a week and feel free to share your experiences in the comments below. I have faith God will be doing amazing things during this time!
Whether you choose to accept the 5 Minute Challenge or not, I have included a small little prayer for us to ask God to help us straighten our priorities and make the most of our time with Him.
Prayer:
"Lord, help me to find time for you. It's so easy to make excuses but you're worth my time! Help me stay motivated and to desire to spend time with you - and not be content with simply spending time with you but to give you my undivided attention and heart and to truly treasure that time. Thank you for all you do for me; I know many of the blessings you've given me go unnoticed and unthanked every day. Thank you so much. You are awesome, Father!"
Thanks again for taking the time to read my first real post and I'm sorry if it sounded too lecture-y...I'm still trying to find my voice :)
Hopefully you decide to come back and read my next post, but either way, have a beautifully blessed day!
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