Time is a weird thing.
The speed of time seems to be fluid. There are moments we spend with family and friends laughing and enjoying each other in which it seems time passes by far too quickly. In contrast, I can remember sitting in classrooms as a child in which time seemed to drag and drag and pass painfully slowly. During Alina's first pregnancy, our anticipation to meet Lucia Noelle on her birthday was torture! The pregnancy felt like it lasted an eternity! Now I look at her, tall, brilliant, beautiful, articulate, 5 years old, and I think, where has the time gone?
Time is also an investment. any moment we spend doing something, is a moment in which we've chosen not to do anything else. In that choice we can observe so many things. A few observable things that stand out to me right now are personal maturity, how selfish or selfless we are, and what our priorities are (these are really all connected). The way we spend our time, the things we choose to make space for in our days truly reflect our interior life. What really matters to us? Look at how you spend every moment of your day for the answer. Asking that question and answering it objectively can be convicting and downright painful - and it should be.
Luke 10:38-42
As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
We often get caught up with a lot of busyness. The trap in it is that the busyness could be filled with theoretically very good things! However, a lot of times this busyness ultimately takes the form of chaos. I love the saying, "If you are too busy to pray, you are too busy." God obviously loves for us to make a positive impact on the world and to do amazing things with our lives - but not at the expense of time with him or family.
What if we made a conscious decision to make time with Jesus a central, non-negotiable part of every single day? What if everything else in our lives that we consider to be priorities, took 2nd place to this commitment? This type of commitment does not need to be overwhelming. Take baby steps. set your alarm 5 minutes earlier than before. Spend just 5 minutes with God in the morning before doing literally anything else. Allow this encounter with the divine to fuel the rest of your days activities.
What can you do in the course of that 5 minutes?
Talk to him. Say, "Good morning, Jesus."
Share with him the plans for your day including the things you're excited about, and the things you're anxious about. Offer it all up to him. Ask for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on you, your family, and your endeavors this day. You could also spend a moment cracking open your bible to receive the written word of God.
Time with God. It doesn't have to be complicated. It just needs to become THE priority.
Doing this every day can literally change your life.
Your brother on the journey,
Nick