A million other things

My help and glory are in God —granite-strength and safe-harbor-God— So trust him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him. God is a safe place to be. (Psalm 62:7)

May I ask what 'absolutely' means to you? If you ask me if I want to go fishing, my reply will be 'absolutely'! If you ask me if I want to paint a few walls, my expression of interest or intent will be way different! The first expresses the idea of being without any reservation - I am completely, wholly, and intently interested in going fishing. The thing you might hear from me when you ask me to paint a few walls may be 'okay', but my heart isn't 'absolutely' committed to the project! There is going to be some reservation because I know how insanely hard it is to paint and do a good job at it. There is all that prep time, then you have to roll the paint in this direction and that so you get even coverage, and all that cutting in...I am just getting tired thinking that one through! When it comes to trusting God, can you say you do it without reservation? Or is there some little 'niggling' of doubt there? On the outside you are answering in the affirmative, but on the inside you are thinking about the cost of obedience. You aren't alone...

Ask me to go fishing and I can reprioritize any work I need to get done, somehow making it easier to get it done so I can enjoy the day fishing with you. Ask me to spend 30-minutes a day in quiet time with Jesus and my mind goes immediately to the millions of things stacking up around me that need to be done. Why is that? The 'come hell or high water' commitment to be ready to go fishing is immediate - the 'no ifs, ands, or buts' type of commitment it takes to spend regular time in the Word and just listening to God may not come so easily because we have to resist the desires of our 'flesh' in order to make that commitment. Our minds race to the million other things we need to do, but if we'd just make the time with him a priority, we might just find out how amazingly smooth all those other things get set in order AFTER we spend that time with him.

I write the blog at the beginning of the day because it is when I am at my best. It is also the time of day I find it easier to not be distracted by lots of other things. Yes, I know a full day of work lies ahead, but I also know while that load of laundry is spinning in the washer I have a full 37 minutes with him! Coffee in hand, computer at the ready, Bible app open, I am set to begin my day. Yes, the laundry is in the washer, but that doesn't mean it got priority - it means he showed me I could set about allowing the washer to do its work of cleaning the clothes while I set apart a huge chunk of time with him. I am a nurse, so I double-task all the time, but I don't let things distract me from this time. It didn't come easily at first, but it is just second-nature to me now. Maybe I should say it is 'first-nature' to me now - because God has nurtured his nature in me!

Absolute trust in God - does it come naturally? Nope...it is something that comes through applying truth - because truth is the basis of all trust. Did you ever stop to think about scripture being referred to as 'truth'? Maybe God was trying to show us the more of his words we allow to affect our lives, the more truth we expose ourselves to, the more we will be able to trust him with absolute commitment (no reservations). If we want to have more time in our day, we give him the first part of our day. Don't believe me? Try it for a month. Give God the 'tithe' of your day - the first-fruits of your day. See what he does in those thirty days. I bet you walk away from those times, even when they may only be 5-10 minutes to begin with, a whole lot more encouraged, ready to face the million other things the day has in store for you. Just sayin!