Living in the -ing

I am one busy woman.

Like most young women in their twenties, I have been trained since I was in elementary school to do all I can prove I was worthy of respect and better than the rest. So the fact that on any given day I am faced with a to-do list jammed with more items than most people have in a week is no surprise. I am constantly on the go, and sometimes find myself running off of only 3 or four hours of sleep (not healthy), and I try to strive for a life free of imperfections (not Biblical).

Yep, sometimes I have my alone time w/God @ Starbucks :-)

Most of my life I was taught to live in the -ing. When I say living in the -ing, I mean I was made to believe that as long as I was making moves, I was on the road to success. What I didn't realize was that it is so easy to get caught up in the busy distractions of life that camouflage themselves as necessary assets to happiness, and by doing so I was missing out on countless moments where I could be growing closer to God.

If you haven't read the book Weird by Craig Groeschel, senior pastor of Life Church, I highly suggest that you do. While reading, I found myself being challenged over and over again to become "weird in a God way" in the way I worship. The chapters the stuck with me the most were the ones pertaining to how we spend our time. I often find myself saying that I simply do not have enough time. I say things like:

• "I want to finish reading that book, but I don't have enough time."
• "I really love hanging out with my grandmother, but I don't have enough time."
• "I want to spend more time with my niece, but I don't have enough time."
• "I want to wake up earlier so I can really dig into the Scriptures before I get my day started, but there just isn't enough time." 

...and the list goes on.

Why do we allow ourselves to be lied to so easily by Satan? And on some of the simplest topics. The majority of the professing Christian world may not be diligent Bible scholars, but we know the basics. We know that God is the Creator of all (Genesis 1,2). We know He is eternal and infinite (Revelation 22:13). We know He is the only true God, He is all powerful, what He says will happen will do just that, and He is sovereign (Isaiah 46:9-11). But we let Satan convince us that He can't do something and minuscule as make sure we have enough time in a day. We let his lies convince us that it's okay to ignore precious moments with our families and pouring ourselves into God's word...because we have better things to do.

God is the Author of time! He planned it all and He has given us the exact amount of time we need to get everything done that He wants us to accomplish.

How dare we feel as though we can't stop moving long enough to sit and bask in the glory of His presence. How dare we worry if whether or not we will reach our goals if we don't spend every waking moment striving to be the best. We should not live our lives looking opportunities to sqeeze in time for God, but we should make Him the focus and foundation of all we do and then ask Him how He wants us to fulfill our other obligations with the time He has provided. When we go about it the other way around, not only are we idolizing our jobs, schoolwork, ministry commitments, etc., but we are telling God that our to-do list is more important than spending time with Him.

Let me say this, the best me I could ever be is the me I am when I am dedicating all of my time to my King, when I make LIVING for Him my primary -ing. When I spend my time learning about Him, dying to myself so I know Him more, and understanding that He is the most loving and caring Person in my life...well, it's beyond humbling.

So, the next time you find yourself caught up in the busyness of living a life that is nothing more than a conformity to what the world considers to be "normal"...slow down, breathe, find a quiet spot (and maybe even a nice cup of coffee or tea) and spend some time with God. He wants your time.


With A Servant's Heart, 
Ashley Danielle