CHECK IN INSTEAD OF CHECKING OUT OR CHECKING OFF

I think this may be a touchy subject but I’m going to say it anyway. God wants us to spend time with Him together as a family, and also individually. He would like us to spend as much time with Him as possible. Whew! That’s a lot of schedule juggling! Is it really that important? I feel like I’m doing good to get a prayer in, and even a daily Bible study. But isn’t that how life is, constantly expecting more out of us at every turn? Have I made you feel totally guilty now? I promise-that was not my intent. Let’s begin again.

Every moment we spend with God is a benefit to us. Let’s face it-we humans are selfish. We want to do things that benefit us. God in His infinite wisdom has designed everything to do with Him as a benefit to us. So we should naturally want to read our Bibles, pray, love our fellow man, participate in family worship, etc. It’s all for our good and His glory. So why does it just seem so impossible to get it all in every day?

Our lives are crazy busy, and we crave downtime from the craziness. What does your downtime look like? Mine is usually catching up on TV shows, or turning on a streaming channel and finding an interesting movie or show to binge. I will be honest-spending time with God is on my To Do list, not my downtime fun list. I have to say I’ve got Him on the wrong list, and my To Do list creates guilt and stress for me while I try to complete it. Yep-once again, by not obeying God’s law I’m only hurting myself.

What if-just hear me out! What if praying, reading my Bible, and working on a faith based study was on my list of downtime go to’s? What if I took them off my To Do list (which consists of laundry, exercise, grocery store, etc.) and put them where they belong? Game changer!

I have a spare 30 minutes and need to recharge-instead of turning on the TV, I will open my Bible. On the coffee table with the remote I will place my current Bible study book and Bible. Instead of fixing a snack and checking out, I will check in…..with God. Instead of stressing to check off the items on my To Do list I will be checking in.

Today I pledge to rearrange my To Do list. Laundry-you’re still there. Exercise-I’ve checked you off already for the day-yay me! Bible study-It’s lunch time and you’re still there. But I’m moving you off the list, and when I’ve finished work for the day and am ready to take a break, you’ll be right there. You and my afternoon caffeinated beverage. I think this is going to work!

I think there is a lesson to be learned in everything. I am sad to say I have kept Bible study on my To Do list since I was a teenager. I am hoping this change in thinking is going to work.

Please comment and let me know how you get your Bible study in each week.