You realize your alarm clock never went off, you’re supposed to be in class 10 minutes but you live 20 minutes away. To top it off, the bus you could have taken if you were on time, already left. We have all have had these chaotic mornings. You know, the ones where you’re lucky to grab a granola bar before sprinting out the door to class or work. Mornings like these have us in a rush, zooming from one place to the next. They leave no time to breathe, and certainly no time for ourselves. After a while, this type of lifestyle which many of us live leaves a residue of fatigue, exhaustion and less than optimal hope. So today we are going to talk about how even in our crazy-busy lives, we can find calmness, hope, patience, and love.

In all reality, most of us don’t have an hour to spend reading our bibles everyday and THAT’S OKAY! While some of us have 20 minutes a day to spend, others have 45 minutes and the lucky ones have all of the time in the world. The key is that we all must be intentional about spending time with him. I find that it is helpful to make yourself a promise and set a goal– something like, “I am going to read a devotional on my phone every morning in my car before I walk into work”. Doing something small, such reading devotional on your phone or listening to Christian music during your commute, is intentional as well as fesabile. Y’all, the Lord loves every single one of us. He chose to make us, therefore we are chosen and He yearns to hear from each of us.

Deuteronomy 7:6 says, “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

A five minute devotional before work, or singing with Him while you fold laundry will strengthen your relationship with God, as well as set up your day for success. If you take the time to talk to the Lord before the bulk of your day begins, you will find that He is thrilled to give you the strength to tackle the rest of it! He wants every one of us to include Him in our daily lives, and I promise He will show up every time!! Find a routine for growing your relationship with Jesus! Pick one thing, decide when you are going to do it, (morning, afternoon, evening) and stick to it! They say it only takes 21 days to form a habit– form the habit of building your relationship with God!

However, you cannot treat spending time with Jesus equally to the other items on your to-do list. Your time with Him must be authentic. You have to want to talk and pray to the Lord. For example, the prayer before Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner can sometimes be painful. You all know exactly what I’m talking about. We have all experienced the picturesque joining of hands, while someone leads a rehearsed prayer for the hungry crowd. It isn’t because we don’t want to thank Jesus for this bountiful Butterball turkey, but because no one has eaten all day and you’re sitting around large table filled with delicious food. I find myself having no idea what is even being said in the prayer because I’m STARVING (my mom doesn’t let us eat all day) and wanting to stuff my face with turkey and stuffing. You might be thinking, “what’s your point here?”. My point is I get so focused on the food, the prayer and spiritual aspect of Thanksgiving dinner goes out the window for me!! It is important to not just go through the motions, and to truly show up. If you are reading a chapter of the Bible everyday, it’s important to get everything you can out of that chapter and eliminate all distractions. When you spend time with Jesus, give him your full and undivided attention. He is our creator and savior!! Would you go to lunch with your mom and text throughout the entirety of the meal? No!! (Well… at least I hope you wouldn’t.) Give our Lord the same respect! The two biggest things I’ve learned in my journey with Christ are, be intentional and authentic when spending time with God.

Now, you may be thinking, “What are some ways I can spend time with Jesus in my busy schedule?” No worries! Here are some different options to connect with the Lord that don’t take more than 10 minutes:

 

1. Pray! Talk to Him throughout the day. It can be as simple as, “Lord please give me strength to do well today”.
2. Listen to worship music in your car or at home, and sing out His Glory!
3. Choose a book of the Bible and read one chapter each day
4. Buy a devotional book and read one entry a day! (I love Sarah Young’s devotionals and they are great and short entries.)
5. Start a prayer journal! I have done this and it has been so rewarding because when I’m writing, it keeps me focused on what I am saying to God! It has been really cool to look back to what I prayed for over the summer, and see how Jesus has answered and provided! This is a great choice if you are someone that prefers more tangible things.

These are not the only options, but these are the things that have worked for me!! My last piece of advice would be to find a routine! Pick one thing, decide when you are going to do it (morning, afternoon, evening) and stick to it! They say it only takes 21 days to form a habit– form the habit of building your relationship with God!

 

Here’s a recap:

 

1. Be intentional. Do something each day, find a time in the day to do it, and stick to it! Build this amazing habit!   
2. Be authentic. You have learned to carve out time with Him, so get the most out of it! Eliminate all distractions and make the time you have with Him the best it can be.
3. Pick something! What one thing are you going to do everyday?

I hope this sparked some ideas of how you can spend time with Jesus everyday! Please share with me what you try and how it worked for you! Also, I would like to share my appreciation for all of your positive and uplifting feedback on my first blog post! I am posting this today solely because of y’all’s interest and reaction to my launch post. I have no idea where this venture will take me, but I am so excited to see where Jesus takes this blog!! Now, go and spend time with Jesus!

 

Love, Megan