The ways we meet with the Lord are as unique as we all are. Celebrate the differences of stages and seasons. You can be encouraged by someone’s spiritual habits and practices, but try not to use them as a measuring stick against your own.
It’s been a hard season.
I am a mom of four, in my mid-forties, with what feels like a never-ending list of demands coming at me from all sides. My workload is increasing. My kids' needs are shifting more and more from the physical to the emotional as they move from the tween years to the teen years and beyond. My body is changing. The financial strain is growing. The calendar seems to maintain a steady state of full…and I feel like that’s just skimming the surface.
It's not all bad. In fact, there’s a lot happening that’s incredibly good – and that’s the beauty of life. So often, the good parts and the hard parts reside side-by-side like a couple strolling the beach hand-in-hand. They are together, but separate, existing in parallel to one another.
This has been the reality of my days. The good is holding hands with the hard. And it feels like all of this good and all of this hard is magnifying my need for Jesus, a need that seems to grow stronger with each passing moment.
I close my eyes and run through the day and think of what’s coming up, and know I desperately need Him.
So, before my eyes close, I grab my phone and set the alarm for the next morning. As my fingers move the numbers to the desired time, I am filled with the hope that I will rise well before the rest of the members of my family. I’m eager to get into the Word and to start my day with the Lord before all those demands start knocking at the door.
I know this moment of intentional quiet will start my day off on the right foot.
Tomorrow, I won’t hit the snooze button. This is often my last thought before the tidal wave of sleep washes over me.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
My hand reaches for my phone in the darkness of the morning. Just nine more minutes. That’s all I need.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Maybe nine more….. Who knew nine minutes could be so enticing?
This is my current pattern. It happens all the time. I go to bed with the desire to wake well before the members of my family, but instead, my need for just a little more sleep wins.
Years ago, this may have sent me into a mental tailspin as I made my way through a heavy, constricting stream of negative thoughts. Look at me, I can’t even meet this little goal. I’m a failure. My faith isn’t strong enough. Why can’t I just do what I set out to do?......
Thoughts like this were a familiar nagging companion.
But not anymore.
I now know my need for nine minutes of extra sleep certainly doesn’t make me a failure in God’s eyes. It doesn’t mean my faith isn’t strong. It doesn’t mean I’m incapable of meeting my goals. It just means that there is a lot pressing in on me right now, and I need my sleep.
Now, I see what I need is not to shame myself, but instead, to find what works for me in this season. I need to discover what works in this space of mid-life with ever-changing and increasing demands.
So, what do I do now that I have accepted the fact that I can’t seem to win the battle of my will versus the snooze button? I set the alarm a little earlier. Yep. That may seem silly, but for me it works.
If I want to get out of bed at 5:30 and I know I like to hit the snooze at least once, I will set the alarm for 5:15 – and that gives me wiggle room in case I need to hit it twice. And for those of you who can’t seem to wake before it’s absolutely necessary, no matter what time you set the alarm – I’ve been there, too. And here’s the thing – that’s okay. What’s important is that you find what works for you in your season.
Not All Seasons Look the Same
Some seasons look like worshipping Jesus while you hold your baby in the middle of the night or while you sit by the bedside of a loved one who is nearing the end of life.
Some seasons look like talking to Jesus while you are waiting in the carline at school pick-up or while you sit on the bleachers at your child’s sports practice.
Some seasons look like praying for your neighbors while you go on an evening stroll, or while you deliver a homemade meal to your friend who just received a hard diagnosis.
Some seasons look like serving while others look like being served.
There is no right, one-size-fits-all way to worship the Lord. We are all created uniquely, beautifully, and wonderfully in His image, and He loves us exactly where we are. He is not expecting perfection from us. He knows our hearts more intimately than we know them ourselves. He just longs to meet with us. He longs for us to abide with Him in the midst of it all.
Making Space for Jesus in the Hurried and Distracted
So, how do you begin to make space for Jesus in the busy and the hurried and the distracted? How do you meet Him with all those demands that pile up each and every day?
Start by taking it to Him. You can pray, Lord, I want to meet with You. Make a way. Show me how. Our prayers don’t need to be long and complicated. Holy Spirit, guide me. Jesus, be with me. Father, help me. Jesus, I love You.
Pray over your calendar. Pray over your days. Ask Him to show you where and how you can connect with Him individually, relationally (with those you are closest to), and collectively (with those you connect with in the community). If you feel a tug on your heart, put that on your calendar. Block off the time like you would your child’s sporting event or the neighborhood book club. As Him to show you and trust that He will.
Try not to compare your spiritual habits and rhythms to others. The way I worship the Lord now looks much different from when I was in my 20s and my 30s, and I am sure it will continue to shift with each decade I have the blessing of experiencing. Our lives are not the same. Our families are not the same. Our personalities are not the same. And our experiences are not the same. Remember that what works best for your friend may not work for you at all, and what worked for you yesterday may not work tomorrow. That’s okay. The ways we meet with the Lord are as unique as we all are. Celebrate the differences of stages and seasons. You can be encouraged by someone’s spiritual habits and practices, but try not to use them as a measuring stick against your own.
Give yourself lots and lots of grace. When we come to Jesus, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He wants to wash us in His grace and wrap us tightly in His love. He is not an angry judge in the sky waiting for you to mess up. He is an intimate God who has come to earth in the form of a man. He knows what it is to be human, and He doesn’t expect our lives to look like a perfect Pinterest Board or Instagram feed. He knows your heart. He knows you're messy. And He loves you through it all. Be sure to give yourself grace if something isn’t working as you had hoped. Just like God knows I am going to hit that snooze button, He also knows my heart. And He knows yours, too. Rest in that for a minute. He knows your heart. And He loves you.
Rest with the Lord. Our culture celebrates productivity. We are a society of doers, but there is great value in rest. Trust me, I know this is much easier said than done. Resting doesn’t come naturally or easily for me, but I know it is good for my mind, body, and soul. There is a reason God rested on the seventh day, and there is a reason He encourages His children to take a day of rest. Even if it feels odd, try resting with the Lord for a moment. Set your alarm for five minutes. Maybe start there. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but beautiful things happen in the quiet spaces of our lives.
Know That He Knows
Friend, when you are tired and stressed and all you want is Jesus, but you don’t know how to make time, know He knows that. He knows the desires of your heart. He is your Father, and you are His child, and He loves you more than you can ever fathom. Ask Him to make a way. Ask Him to show you the places and spaces in your life where you can meet with Him. Whether it’s one minute. One hour. Or one day. He is there. Reaching for you. Loving you. Waiting for you to return.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/eggeeggjiew
Jen Thompson is the author of Return to Jesus: An Invitation to Abide with Him in Every Beautiful, Stressful, or Tedious Moment.
