No More Excuses

For years I have struggled with choosing between my beauty sleep and spending time alone with Jesus. Its been a difficult road...there are so many excuses I can make to justify my choices and I have some really good ones too!

Before I was married my life was centered around me, my needs, my desires. I came and went as I pleased, slept when I was tired, ate when I was hungry and generally got up when I felt like getting up.

Fast forward 9 years of marriage to my best friend and four beautiful children....my habits have changed quite a bit...for better or for worse! 

Since I have called Jesus my Lord, I have desired to put him first. I know that I cannot survive without him! But as my role in life has changed, so have my priorities. Its not just Jesus and me anymore, its Jesus, my husband and my children. He will always be first, but as the demands on me have grown, I have seen how easy it is to push time with Jesus to the bottom of my list of things to do.

 So many days I would get so frustrated and frazzled, trying to run on fumes.I knew what I needed to do but just couldn't bring myself to do it.. I just love sleep, what can I say? So I cried out to God..," Lord you know my needs, you know I need my sleep but I know I need you more.. please start waking me up! To my great amazement...he did. He started waking me up, calling me to come listen to his voice, read his word and lay my requests before him and sit as his feet.  Though there have been times when I think my kids got the memo too. They have some built in sense to know when you are awake."Oh mom is awake, I better get up too."

 So I cried out to God again," Lord can't you see I am trying!?.. I really am and its just not working!

Whoa.. that's early!

But I kept at it and came to realize that he knew my heart and just wanted me to put him first in my heart. 

"In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Psalms 5:3

Now I know that just because you don't seek God in the morning, he is not going to beat you up over the head! But I do believe that we have to schedule in time with God, whatever time it is. For me, its the beginning of the day, before a million things are demanding my attention and time. 

(Just a disclaimer, some days it just doesn't happen in the morning... life doesn't always happen as we plan but it still is important to plan. God sees our hearts.)

There has never been a time when I have said," Oh man,  I wish I had slept in." But you know what? I have never once regretted getting up and spending time with Jesus! He gives me exactly what I need! He made me and knows what I need; he knows my weaknesses, he knows my strengths. On top of that I sleep great!(Even with little ones in the bed at times) I don't even miss those few extra hours, somehow I feel like I have more energy! How you ask? Because he fuels me!

Now just so you know, I am not supermom, superwoman or super anything! But Jesus is super and makes me all that I am.

Don't get me wrong, some mornings you NEED to sleep in or take a nap in the afternoon( I love naps!) But it helps so much to get into the habit of seeking God first.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and these things will be given to you as well." Luke 12:31"

 He is the only one who can give me what I need, if I choose to put him first!  

Whatever your season in life, there are so many things screaming  for your time and attention; making demands of you. You can not possibly be meeting all those demands if your needs aren't met.

There is ALWAYS going to be something to steal our attention from Christ. We have to determine in our hearts to set aside time with him. We can make excuses and reasons all day long but there is nothing that we need to be doing more then seeking God! We wont be able to do all we have to do if we don't.

We can do NOTHING without Jesus!!!

"I am the vine; you are the branches, if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5

What are your excuses for spending time with God? Are they really worth sacrificing your relationship with God for, no matter what they are?