I don’t know anyone who doesn’t feel too busy. We lead busy lives full of work, friends, family, church, hobbies and the occasional Netflix binge session. We often speak about how busy we are, not because we’re complaining, but because it’s a reality of life.
This week more than any other is going to be extremely busy for me. I volunteered to serve at our church’s VBS. I’m preparing to preach at my brother-in-law’s church on Sunday. I have to work. And I have a beautiful daughter who enjoys waking up at 4:30 in the morning.
Again, I don’t go through that list to gain any sympathy; I’m sure most of you are far busier than I am. Whenever we stare down a busy week like this, it’s important to remember what helps keep us focused and grounded. Sleep may disappear during busy weeks and we may not have as much time to relax, but spiritual disciplines will help us persevere, especially if part of our busyness involves doing the Lord’s work.
I love VBS, but I hate being at church at 8:00 in the morning. I especially hate it now because church is a 45-minute drive from my home. I’m not just waking up for the sake of waking up, though. I’m not even just waking up to go fix computers. I’m waking up to help 250 kids hear about Jesus. As busy as this week may be, that’s pretty awesome.
Busy or not, we always need to maintain those disciplines that keep us connected to the source of all life and strength. Even if I weren’t serving at VBS this week, I’d still need to spend time at the feet of Jesus. We still need Jesus even if we’re looking at an average week without anything out of the ordinary. My problem tends to be that the busier I get, the less time I spend with Jesus.
So often I only spend time with Jesus when everything is exactly right.
I have to wake up early enough.
Clara has to stay asleep long enough.
I can’t be too hungry.
There can’t be too many tweets with links that I need to click.
If all of that falls into place, then maybe I can manage to spend 20 minutes with Jesus in the morning. When I’ve got to be at church by 8:00 or anything else goes wrong, my morning turns into a microchip with a grain of sand on it.
Jesus deserves more than a small window that requires the planets to be in perfect alignment. Regardless of how busy we are, Jesus should get his. Even if that means waking up a little early or having a not-so-quiet time with a crying baby.
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