Busy?

“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light”
2 Corinthians 11:14



There are two precious, dare I say sacred, days of the week that I set aside for writing. They are sacred because they are the only designated large blocks of time carved out where there is no bright-eyed 3-year-old pulling on my sleeve, staring up at me with Precious Moments eyes and sweetly begging, “Mommy, I love you. I just wanna be with you.” I can rarely resist pulling that pleading child into my arms and, thus, giving in to his demands. My days are filled with library trips, marble games, Hot Wheels adventures, and stick-fighting. Consequently, the rare times that I get to sit down with my coffee, my computer, my Bible, and my thoughts are held with a pretty tight fist. So, today when I arrived home from dropping my son off at pre-school and my husband looked at me with Precious Moments eyes and sweetly begged, “Can I get some time with you today?” my internal dialogue was…well, let’s just say it’s a good thing it was internal. I know, I know…I am blessed to have a husband who wants to be with me. Yes, he is willing to put aside his work for an hour; I should be too. All of this I know. But, all my mind was saying was, ”It’s my time! I only get it twice a week! Why can’t he leave me be and let me get things done!” And as these thoughts ran through my head, God reminded me that next to my relationship with Him, my relationship with my husband was the most important. So, I resolved to finish what I was doing at the time and then give the man what he wanted: my precious time. I know…my attitude could have used a little adjusting. Do you know what happened? That time was some of the sweetest we’ve had in the past few months.

As I came back to my computer, to a cold cup of coffee by the way, it hit me that if I would have let my perceived busyness dictate my actions today, I would have missed out on receiving the much needed love I need from my husband. And he would have been left with a longing unfulfilled. You know, I think Satan is really good at feeding us lies and making them sound believable. Of course he is; he’s the father of lies. It’s what he does. I actually believed that I was too busy today to spend time with Lou. The LORD has been impressing 2 Corinthians 11:14 on my heart the last few days. Satan will put things in our way to switch our focus from God’s best plan for our lives. As fine as writing about God and His word is, and as much as I am called to do it, it does not supercede my family. We have a tendency to think that if something we’re doing is good or noble or about God, it is from God. We need to remember that the enemy will throw good things in our paths to direct us away from the great things God has for us. Yes, I enjoy writing. Yes, I know it is something God has asked me to do. Will I let it keep me so busy and ministry-focused that I fail to fulfill the calling He has given me in my home? NO! Let’s decide today to put God and His plans first, not our to-do list. For it is in following Him in obedience that we find true soul-satisfying fulfillment and really, make the biggest impact on the world around us.

Father God, we are sorry for getting so busy that we sometimes neglect the people in our lives that need us the most. Please give us the discernment to know where you want us spending our time. And in hearing and following you, please help us to spread your love and the aroma of your Son to those around us. In His name we pray, Amen