I find it incredibly hard to do the things that I know are good for me. Why is that? What makes it so hard to engage in conversation when I just want to read my book, or watch my show? What makes it so hard to make a healthy meal, when I just want to grab something out to eat, that’s fast and easy?

For me at least it can often be two things. One of them is just pure ‘I don’t feel like it, laziness.’ The other for me, is being too busy.

It feels pretty hard to combat these struggles even to do something as helpful and rejuvenating as reading scripture. A week ago Tom mentioned in his post some helpful tips to make time with Jesus more meaningful and meditative and a way to slow down. I found his thoughts to be particularly helpful. But what if my initial problem isn’t when I do actually spend time with the Lord, but making time to do it?

A couple of questions to combat my struggles with time in this area…

Why don’t I want to spend time with Jesus? If this question receives a response of anything other than I do actually want to, then I need to dig a little deeper. Am I afraid of going to Him? Do I not trust him? What if this is really about my heart instead of my time management? I do make sure I eat 3 square meals a day, (and of course snacks, if you know me). So, why is it so hard to find a few minutes to re-center my heart if I can find a bunch to fill my stomach?

In a book I’m reading, Paul Tripp mentions prayer in a metaphor as though it were a daily life-saving drug that you required. And if you missed even one day you would die. It felt like a pretty strong expression, (please hear me say I don’t think spending time in the Word saves your soul), but at the same time I could appreciate the gravity of what he was saying. We really do NEED Jesus everyday, all day long. There is no day when I can go without being His truth. But I also want to WANT him.

So what does it look like to give a few minutes, or more, to “save your life” but more literally to grow your life to be more like our Holy God.  I know that I really need to daily re-evaluate the things that I put time and emphasis on. For me, it means getting up a few minutes earlier before my kids wake up, or taking some of my kids precious ‘nap time’ to drink a cup of coffee and pray and read scripture, write in my journal or whatever it is that day that would be most helpful.

What does it mean for you? What would you have to give up or change to daily save your life, to grow in understanding your need and your desire for Jesus?

In Him,

Cara