How to make time for God
Has your hectic schedule crowded God out of your life?
Despite all the modern labor-saving devices--from microwave
ovens to automatic washers--it seems as if we're busier than
ever. Think for a moment how you spend your time.
Most of us spend eight to ten hours a day working and commuting.
We sleep seven or eight hours a night. Subtract another hour for
preparing meals, eating, and cleaning dishes. Take another hour
off each day for bathing, shaving, grooming, and bathroom
visits. Deduct an hour for watching TV news and reading a
newspaper, and yet another hour for reading popular magazines or
surfing the Internet.
Miscellaneous chores such as doing laundry, picking out clothes
for work, cleaning your house or apartment, buying groceries, or
gassing up your car cost you another hour each day. Watch a
drama, sports, or a couple sitcoms on TV and you're down to no
time available for God.
When you reach that point, it's time to rethink your priorities.
If you're truly sincere about spiritual growth, the choice is
obvious. You have to learn how to make time for a
relationship with God. How much time you set aside shows how
much importance you place on that part of your life.
But this problem is not new. In his short book, 'The Practice of
the Presence of God', a seventeenth century French Carmelite
known as Brother Lawrence revealed how to pursue God in even the
busiest of days.
Brother Lawrence served as a kitchen helper in the Discalced
Carmelite priory in Paris, from 1640 to his death in 1691.
Cooking meals for 100 friars, using open fires and brick ovens,
he vowed that he would not be so consumed with his duties that
they would push God out of his life. So he talked to God
constantly throughout the day.
No matter how busy you are, you can also adapt Brother
Lawrence's simple strategy to focus your life on God. The first
step, of course, is to re-commit yourself to this most important
of all relationships. Then, start talking to God throughout the
entire day. These short conversations may not seem like prayers,
but they are. Thank God for your job and the income it provides.
Ask for his guidance before making decisions. The more you bring
God into your daily activities, the more you'll sense his
presence.
Second, let your work unite you to God. No matter what kind of
job you may have, honest labor brings dignity to you. It also
gives you the opportunity to help others, whether they are your
customers or coworkers. Your attitude can change your work from
drudgery to an exercise in obedience that advances your
spiritual maturity.
Third, remember that the only eternal aspect of your life is
your relationship with God. The money you earn or the chores you
do may be necessary, but you can't take them with you out of
this life. By focusing instead on God and his love for you,
you'll gradually realize your purpose for being here.
Fourth, learn to trust God. Brother Lawrence had a simple,
childlike faith in his creator. You may feel that your education
or sophistication demands a more intellectual approach to God.
But that's not what God requires. When you recognize him as your
loving, forgiving father, you will make a great leap on the path
to true wisdom.
Finally, persevere. Brother Lawrence was a practical man who
understood how much our minds can wander and what it's like to
have a short attention span. He counseled a forgiving attitude
toward yourself for these lapses. God is pleased with whatever
effort you make to draw closer to him. Just as a parent
encourages a toddler who stumbles and falls, God lifts us up to
try again and again.
Whether you're married or single, you can make time in
your life for God. He will meet even your feeble attempts by
giving you a peace-filled, surprising sense of his presence.
Like the father of the prodigal son, he is waiting and watching
for you to come home.