Welcome back! I hope the Thanksgiving holiday was a great one, and I hope the Christmas season has been great so far. For some of you, this is a very busy time of year...tests, papers, homework, citals, quiz, work...the list could go on and on...It can be a busy season, trying to find time to shop for Christmas too. I'm happy to say that I have finished my shopping.
Well, on to the blog topic at hand. Nothing Else Matters...wait, wait before you jump ahead and say yes, I know Jesus is the reason, and nothing else matters, that isn't what this blog is about. Well ok, I guess it is, but read anyway.
I was reading Mark 1:35 this evening... "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Great verse from the Bible about how Jesus spent time alone with God. As I said in my last blog, spending time with God has been something I have really tried to focus on more. It's a time of year where we get really busy and we get tied up. Let me ask you this...Have you ever been in a place where nothing else mattered? Let me give an example from my life...when I was in junior college, I did a play called Of Mice and Men and I was the character Lennie. There is a scene where I start out onstage holding a puppy (don't worry it was fake) that I had accidently killed. When the lights come up I'm holding this pup crying, and I mean real tears, sad that I had killed this little puppy. In that scene, nothing else around me mattered. I actually felt like I was in a barn, holding a real dog that I had killed. I wasn't Kyle, I was Lennie...
When it comes to spending time with God...nothing else should matter. We should block out the audience (stress, papers, deadlines, work, etc.), and spend quality time with God to build that personal relationship he desires to have with us. If that means getting up 30 minutes earlier every morning to be with Him, then that is what you need to do. I will be the first to admit I don't like getting up when that alarm goes off, but if it is what we need to do to have time alone with God in our busy day, then we need to do it.
I struggle right along with you in this quest. I have chosen worldly things over time with God. You are not alone in that we all face challenges and trials day to day. However, each day is another blessing from God, another opportunity. God has given you grace and mercy to live another day. This isn't a diet that should wait until New Year's to start...this is an every day resolution. Nothing else matters as much as spending time with God.
So in closing, I encourage you to change up your routine if you need to. When I was in high school, we had what we called the 4 D's: Desire, Dedication, Determination, and Discipline. Apply these to your life. Remember I'm right there with you and would love to hear how God is working in you, through your time with him.
I hope this gives you encouragement, I'm not trying to preach to you or put you down. I walk as you walk, hoping to get closer to God each day, and I struggle to not to let the trials and storms keep me from His word, from talking with Him, praying with Him, and praising Him. If you have any prayer request please let me know (text, FB message, or when you see me). I would love to lift you up, or if you need to just talk about something, I wont know all the answers, but I will listen and, hopefully, encourage.
Not sure if I will get in another blog before the new year, or Christmas, so just in case, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, and enjoy time with your family, if you get to see them. Thanks for reading, and God Bless!!
