Where Did the Time Go? (by Cathe Laurie)

“The rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:9–10 ESV).

Do you have time today?

Time for what, Cathe?

Just. . . time. If I were to ask you if you had time, what would you say?

But if I got specific. . . do you have time for a call? Time to shop? Time to go to the spa? Time to get coffee?

I bet your answer would change for each question because it all depends on what’s important and valuable to you.

So let me ask you the burning question: Do you have time for the Lord?

Spending Time With God—Daily

I’ve been discussing spiritual disciplines recently. Praying, reading the Word, listening to the teaching of Scripture.

There is nothing of greater importance than making a habit of prioritizing the Lord. In order to truly see growth in our faith, we must be in the Word and spend time with God daily. It doesn’t always have to look the same, nor take place at exactly the same time of day. But if we want to see our faith blossom, our discipline must be a daily effort!

Our days feel full of activity. Time passes without us even realizing it, and suddenly we’re resting our head down on our pillow to sleep and can’t even remember what we did all day!

Time speeds by as we craft healthy meals, track our macros, make sure we get in our steps, plan elaborate parties, and block out time for “self-care.” Or, if you’re like me, simply spend time wandering the aisles of the grocery store in the flower section or scroll through advertisements on my Instagram feed.

Sometimes, our time is scheduled for high-value activities and necessities. And sometimes, our time disappears into the lesser-value activities: social media, screen time, entertainment that we don’t even realize we’re lost in until hours have passed.

Either way, I think if Jesus visited our homes and watched our schedules, He would probably point to some things and say, “No, that doesn’t have to consume quite that much time. No, you don’t have to devote that much energy to that.”

Remember His warning in Luke 8:14, “And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature” (ESV).

How Are You Using Your Time?

I encourage you to sit down and make a list of the ways you are spending your most precious commodity: your time.

Stop for a moment and ask about each one. Is the way I do it the best way, and is this more important than spending time with Jesus? Is there a way to readjust the time spent on these things to make time for the Word and prayer?

Put the Lord before any busyness. I would venture a bet that no matter how busy you think you are, there are activities throughout your day that could be substituted for an investment in your spiritual health.

There is no greater way to spend our time than with the Lord, growing our faith. Let’s put that back where it belongs, at the top of our priorities.

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Cathe Laurie is the founder and director of the Virtue women’s ministry. She is also a featured speaker on The Virtue Podcast, at Harvest events, and the author of As I See It. You can find her weekly articles here on harvest.org.