When I was in my twenties, I thought prayer and Bible reading were boring. I couldn’t muster the motivation to make time for them even though I knew they were important. Apparently, they weren’t important enough. Back then, I was attending college and working, and hadn’t yet learned the value of spending intentional time with God. Hindsight and hard knocks tell me I missed out.
We all miss out when we habitually choose busyness and service over being with Christ. God is interested in us first, and then our ministries. As women, it’s natural for many of us to spend time talking on the phone, gathering for fellowship at PWOC, seeking chances to escape the clamor of our beloved children, spending time texting, e-mailing, searching for friends on Face book, and Twittering our time away. Socializing, serving and caring for our families are things we do well. We make time for those things. Jesus longs for us to make time for Him — to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).
It is true that the Lord can speak to us anytime, anywhere, through any circumstance. But do we want to have a sporadic, haphazard relationship with our Savior? In what ways do we demonstrate to Him, and to those in our sphere of influence, that He is top priority? In what order does He appear on our to-do lists? Do we care about knowing Him intimately? Do we trust Him to lead us through mind-bending trials in order to strengthen our faith? If so, how do we do that? How do we grow as Christians and become more like Christ?
Let’s look at an example from Scripture. Appropriately, she happens to be a woman. Her name is Mary, and I’m sure you’ve read or heard this story from Luke 10:38-42. Martha, Mary’s sister, was busy in the kitchen making preparations for Jesus. Mary chose to stay in the other room where she planted herself at Jesus’ feet. When Martha nearly ordered Jesus to make Mary help her in the kitchen, Jesus replied, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Mary chose to spend time with Jesus rather than pots, pans and kitchen utensils. People are always more important than things, and Jesus is the most important One of all. No matter what we do, whether or not it’s ordained by God, it is not more important than Him. We can “do” until we’re blue and it won’t make a cotton pickin’ bit of difference (thank you to my friends from the Carolinas) unless we place ourselves in a posture of submission, humility and gratitude to our King. Once we’ve established God as our number one priority, spending time with Him becomes more of a joy than just another thing on our to-do lists.
I’m grateful to say that I’ve recovered from the aimlessness of my twenties, and have grasped the significance of being in the presence of God. The more time I spend at His feet, the more He blesses me with His amazing peace (Phil. 4:6-7) and the straighter His path before me. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Pro. 3:5-6).
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“Life Happens – Jesus Answers” is a weekly column addressing the challenges we face in life, coupled with the presence and grace of Jesus, our One True Source of hope and peace. The column’s author, Laura Firtko, can be reached by email here: LifeHappens@pwoc.org
Over the years, in addition to regular soul-cleansing journaling, Laura Firtko has written for the Azusa Pacific University campus newspaper, The Clause; World Vision Public/Media Relations department; Focus on the Family Brio, Breakaway, Clubhouse and Youthwalk magazines; and the Fort Carson PWOC newsletter. She is a member of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild and occasionally pops her head into Springs Writers group meetings at Woodmen Valley Chapel.
Laura and her husband, Steve, are stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. They have two adorable beagle daughters, Aspen and Roxy, who love doggy walks and squeaky toys.
