Last year, a friend of mine was kind enought to let me and few other moms into her home as she hosted a live broadcast of the Thrive Moms Retreat.
The purpose of the retreat was to give moms a chance to bond with one another, without the kiddos, while being uplifted uplifted by some amazing guest speakers. The event itself was so wonderfully put together, the women who spoke encouraged us in God's truth, and the worship session during the intermission could've easily left anyone of laid out on the floor in reverence and gratitude for the Father. Unfortunately, I did not realize most of the aspects of the retreat until about two days later when I watched the playback at work.
Why?
Because only one mom could actually find a sitter that day.
Our "retreat" quickly became a play-date for our littles. And even though we are grateful for the pint-sized humans God allowed us to feed and change and chase and stop from pushing over surround-sound speakers and teach how to share a bowl of pears, I became very aware of a truth that wasn't mentioned during the retreat: my time with God is my responsibility first.
I must fight for it.
Whether you have children or not, there is probably something in your life that keeps you busy that you can't just brush off. You can't reschedule what time your child will wake up like you can a lunch date so you can have a little meditation time. Your professor may not be very understanding if you say you failed an exam earlier this week because you wanted to watch Women of the Bible on Sunday so you didn't study. The chances of a husband saying he'll watch the kids on a Saturday morning (even though he may really want to) so you can get lost in that Beth Moore book you downloaded last Spring are kind of slim. Not because he doesn't care, but because he probably worked a full day on Friday just like you and is also craving more time with Mr. Sandman. I don't know any supervisors, not even ones in full-time ministry vocations (and there may be some), that will say, "You know what? I'll get someone else to teach Children's Church for a couple of weeks. You spend some time in evening finally finishing that Abide study you started over 6 months ago".
These are people who probably care about our spiritual well-being (yes, maybe even the professor; they might actually be a kind-hearted Christian who prays for their students each night so don't assume they aren't). But they have responsibilities just like you do.
We have to fight for those moments.
Sometimes, the way I come across having some amazingly intimate times with God are completely unplanned. I was simply folding laundry and realized my daughter was asleep, son was knocked out and there was a Bible on our filing cabinet calling my heart to get lost in it. Other times, I have had to fight for those moments.
I have had to do whatever I possibly can to make sure I get some alone time with the Trinity.
My sisters, my brothers, it's worth the fight.
He is worth the fight.
One of my favorite songs right now is A Little Longer by Jenn Johnson of Bethel. Each time I hear her belt out the lyrics, "Stay. You don't have yo do a thing. Just let those things go; they can wait another minute."
That truth is so difficult for me to grasp sometimes.
A friend said it best about a week ago when I asked them were they about to start studying for a final they had coming up, or about to spend some time reading their Bible. They casually, yet confidently, replied, "Bible before work."
Bible before work.
Yes, Lord!
You before work.
Being with Him shouldn't be work. It shouldn't feel like a chore. It should be something we crave. The laundry, the dishes, the text message, the E-mail, the phone can wait another minute while we rest at His feet.
Even if it's just for a few minutes.
So, how are you fighting for time with God? If you haven't been zealous in fighting for time with Him, in what ways do you think you could start? I'd love to chat with you about it.
...and feel free to bask in the beauty of this song with me. *hugs and love*
xoxo,
Ashley Danielle