Too busy

Personal Photo: Sunflowers face the light, and we should strive to do the same. When we put in the time and energy to turn and face God, we get to bask in the light and share the brightness with the world. We are never too busy to spend time with God!

I followed my mom as we made our way to the end of the crowded aisle in the grocery store, ready to turn and find our way to the next aisle of food. I paused because I needed to pick out some Sunflower Oil and hunted for a brief moment before finding it on the shelf below the highest. I set it in the cart, and we moved on. Before we got out of the aisle, we moved aside for an elderly lady who was approaching us from the main walkway. Without hesitating, she pointed at me and said she needed to reach the Sunflower Oil. She told me that I could help her because I was tall.

I am tall. I am 5'8" and it took a long time for me to grow into liking my height. I reached up, got the bottle of oil for her, made a little small talk before asking if she needed anything else and we walked away from her with a smile. She continued down the row without stopping and we moved on in the opposite direction. My mom and I waited until we were about halfway through the next aisle before we looked at each other and realized how interesting of an encounter the situation was. Something about it felt bizarre, and we both stumbled upon the realization that maybe we had been close to an angel, passed a spiritual test, or just simply made God proud of us for helping someone in need. It was just too intentional, just too specific to be coincidence.

This memory lives close to my heart, and I find myself still puzzled by the strange feeling that it brings me. I am convinced that it was touched by the Lord in some way. As the rest of us, I frequent grocery stores often and have been many times to numerous different shops since then. I make a point to smile when I navigate the stores, to be in the present moment, to be friendly to people who so often are worn thin and stumble from one thing on their to-do list to the next. The elderly woman reminded me to make time for others, to prioritize caring, to appreciate the importance of being a bright spot in someone's day.

So many of us find ourselves with our plates full and overwhelmed with the growing list of things we need to get done. We struggle to make it from one day to the next, exhausted and facing another long day ahead. We go to sleep tired and wake up the same way. We find ourselves sinking in the quicksand of life, the avalanche of heartache and responsibility crushing us, and we find our lives passing us by without us ever really getting the chance to celebrate it. At some point, something has to give. We give up going to church, we give up prayer, we give up time with the Word. We sacrifice our families and our loved ones in order to make a little progress. We put our heads down, tune out the voice of the Holy Spirit, and we get to work. It happens to all of us. However, at some point we suffer for it. If we are too busy for the Lord, we are too busy. If we don't have the time to spend with loved ones, we aren't spending our time correctly. If we are too rushed to help someone and share a smile, we are just too rushed.

When we find ourselves paying for sacrificing the wrong things in our lives, like our relationship with God, the chances we have to spend with loved ones, etc. then we can find the stress levels rising. Eventually we have the chance to realize we need God, we need to prioritize Him in our lives, and then everything else falls into place. Seeking God, seeking to be more like God, and seeking to give Him glory all create a sense of belonging, a peace with our lives, and a reflection of His light into our day-to-day. It all begins with realizing we are never too busy to spend time with God. The rest of it snowballs from there. Matthew 6:33 tells us "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Here we are reminded how to prioritize our lives. We seek God first. When the Lord remains the most important thing to us, we can see His hand working to keep everything else in order. We stop taking our frustrations out on those closest to us, we put time and effort into the spaces in our lives that bring us the most fulfillment and joy, and we find peace intertwined with the things we do and the people we are with. It all starts with God: making time for Him means we make more time for the most important things in life and prioritizing Him above all else means our priorities fall into alignment.

The truth is that time is a precious gift to us all. And even though we might fall off the wagon and find ourselves struggling with balancing everything, we can remember that we have limited opportunities in our lives to give glory to God with what we do. Every opportunity is an important one, so reprioritizing the most important things in our lives to make sure the Lord is on top is critical in order for us to then be able to make the most of our time. Ephesians 5:15-17 reminds us to "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." It is important how we interact with others because it is our chance to represent God. When we love others, we demonstrate how God loves us. When we make time for others, we are walking examples of how God always makes time for us. When we help our peers and celebrate others unselfishly, we are showing how God continues to help us and celebrate our companionship with Him. In this way, we can recognize how important it is that we slow down and make sure we are never too busy to show gratitude for the Lord in every way.

Investing time in God, demonstrating His love for us through our relationships with others, and sharing the joy of being given the gift of salvation are all important ways for us to give Him glory. When we find ourselves too busy, we have the opportunity to reprioritize the things in our lives, putting God, family, and loved ones above less important things like work, progress, and self. By staying in alignment with our priorities, the rest of the things in our lives fall into place, and we find peace in the effort we are designating to each area. Colossians 3:17 explains to us "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Time is a precious gift, my friends, and we can spend every minute of it giving glory to God with everything we do!