I’m just too busy. This familiar refrain is heard or said by many of us when asked if we are taking time for daily Bible devotions, or if we have a strong prayer life. Even those of us who attend church and church meetings every week are not exempt from this cry.
But why? Why, or even how, can we be too busy to spend time with our Lord? How can we not have enough time to spend with the very one who gave His life so that we could be saved from hell?
I imagine all Christians are guilty of this at some point in our lives. We have our family, work, a home to be maintained, food to be purchased and prepared, friends to see, and last but not least – church meetings and good deeds to be performed. These swallow our free time like a time-eating clock.
Free time. That is what I am thinking about today. We all use this phrase so what exactly is free time? I always think of it as the time I have not obligated myself to do something for others. That means it is that little bit of time I get to myself each day, “Me Time.”
And so if “Me Time” is 10 minutes 30 minutes, or an hour each day, I get to choose how to spend it. If I do not choose well that Me Times flows through my fingers like water. Thinking of time as money, the time is spent but I have gained no profit from it.
In order to get my free time focused on where it will be used for my best good I have to make a plan or a budget. I know I need to have time with the Father and often He speaks to me through His Word so I make sure my budget includes time with God and my Bible.
Therefore, my budget includes time for my early morning prayers asking God to cover my day with His guidance, and lifting up anyone He brings to my mind. Once that is done I use another bit of my free time to do basic exercises in order to maintain my body so I will be prepared and able to do whatever God asks of me.
During the day I also budget “Me Time” up to an hour for studying God’s Word and afterward to bring my ever-growing prayer list of people to God for His touch in their lives. That portion of “Me Time” gives me time to spend with the Father while receiving guidance from the Holy Spirit.
Of course, I have other free time. I spend some of that on catching up on news, learning, sharing, and doing for others but most of my Me Time is spent growing in my faith. When I looked at the actual time I set aside in my personal efforts to know my Creator and what His plan is for me, that time appears almost trivial.
But, to that small amount of personal study and prayer, I also sit under a teacher in Sunday School and a preacher at church. I attend a Bible study each week and I also attend a mid-week church service to strengthen my knowledge and life in Christ.
The total of all these hours tells me I spend about 8% of my waking hours acknowledging, talking to, and learning about God and His will for my life. I might also throw in those minutes while I am in constant prayer during the day but this is still a pretty small percentage of my total waking hours.
When I ponder that a tithe in the Bible is considered 10%, I am definitely an under-achiever in the amount of time I spend with my Lord and Creator.
So, am I really too busy? Not now in my retirement, but certainly, it was a push to even find 5% of free time while I was working. Now I have the opportunity to move at a slower pace in my Bible reading and devotions rather than just zipping through the words. What a blessing that is! Retirement has its benefits.
If you have not considered budgeting a certain amount of time to get closer to God I highly recommend it. Set any reasonable amount of time for prayer to get yourself in the right frame of mind as your day begins. I am sure if you commit the time, like me, you will watch a wonderful change happen to your daily outlook and your relationship with the Father. If you do opt for morning prayer please feel free to join me – I will meet you at the Father’s feet.
