Living Room

Have you ever been so incredibly busy you barely had time to catch your breath? Have there been times when the reason you didn't know if you were coming and going was because there was so much going and very little coming? Times when the 24 hour day needed to be expanded if only to make a dent in your "to-do" list? I have had those days too, sadly too too many of them. We are all such busy people! There is so much to do that taking care of ourselves physically and emotionally and even spiritually requires planning, persistence and prayer.
Lately, I have been making a concerted effort to be an intentional disciple of Christ, one who thinks about her actions, one who tries to see and seize opportunities for evangelism, one who remembers the power of words and makes every attempt make her speech bless rather than hurt. I am amazed at what a struggle this is. Believing that an intentional Christian is what God would have me be, I have been praying that He would help me be just that, that He would help me see what is holding me back, what is blocking my progress.
I know that I do better when I spend time in the Word everyday! I know that my days are less stressful when I talk to God about everything. I know that keeping on track is easier when I put God first! I know this and yet often I delude myself into thinking that I am too busy to read the Bible and I have too much going on to stop to pray and that the things I need to do are so much more important than spiritual things. Sometimes I convince myself that I will do them later, only to find that I either forget or I say a hurried prayer as I drift off to sleep. That is when I find I am most vulnerable to the sins of pride, judgemental attitudes, and impatience and that is when I am tempted to lie and make excuses. I get so busy living my life that I have no room for living for Jesus.
We are a very affluent society but accumulating things takes time and effort, as does maintaining those things. Before we know it we are working for our things. Being involved in activities is a good thing. We can meet more people when we develop relationships with them and we do that by sharing some sort of activity with them, whether it be gymnastics, or tennis, or band or PTA or book club or auxiliary, that is where we meet others. But does it sometimes seem like we spend so much time with others that we forget to spend time with God? It does for me! Somewhere along the line, I bought into the idea that it is wrong to not participate in everything! I must be at every single church activity, I must sponsor every extracurricular event, I must be scout leader, bus driver, Sunday school teacher, and be on every single committee. I think it makes satan very happy when we get so busy doing good that we forget to be good! My house, my heart, my life get so crowded that there is not room for one more thing. There is not time for one more event, not time for one more activity, no time to spend with one more person. How sad that God was not at the top of the list but rather relegated to the bottom, and occasionally not on the list at all.
I have discovered that it is not in this life that I truly experience living but rather in time with Him, in His Word, fulfilling His purpose for me. That is where I will know life! I realize I will need to simplify my life. I cannot participate in everything if I am to fellowship with the Father. I cannot spend time with everyone if I am to have time to spend with Him. I will have to make room for Christ if I am to live for Him. If I am to be an intentional Christian, I will need to clear out the warehouse of my heart and give Him some living room!

Blessings
Neva