Too Busy?

This morning I joined some other young moms to check out the possibility of joining a new mentoring group. Some ladies who have grown children expressed a desire help younger wives and moms in a practical way. The concept itself is great, straight from Titus 2, the older women teaching the younger women. It was described to me as an opportunity for these older women to teach us various things – about recipes, cooking, entertaining, with some time for spiritual encouragement. However, it was also pointed out that the spiritual aspect would not be the focus, and should not be cause for intimidation. This didn’t bother me, at first. Only being married a few years, and with a young child at home, I am certainly no Martha Stewart. I can plan a menu and get a decent meal on the table, though it is far from gourmet! So, I am always on the lookout for new recipes, creative ways to entertain friends, cook good meals for my family, and not spend a fortune doing it. I want to be teachable, and take advantage of opportunities to learn all I can to better serve my family in this way.

What bothered me was a comment made at the beginning of the meeting. I don’t believe that it was intended to offend anyone, but something about it concerned me. The statement was made that, as young moms, we are all so busy (very true!), and just don’t have the time to go home and do a Bible study, and have to just grab what truths we can as we can catch them (that’s the part that caught my attention). So, the plan was that each time we met we would go through a passage of Scripture, and the leader (mentor) would “just give us the meat.” While I am sure that the intentions behind this were good, that really bothered me. I have been taught my entire life that I needed to learn to “feed” myself, and must not rely on someone else to do it for me. And I am so thankful that I learned to do so! What an immature Christian I would be if the only time I received nourishment from God’s Word was on Sunday! (If my daughter only ate once a week, she would be severely malnourished!! She loves her milk, and clearly says “Mama, milk!” when she thinks I am taking too long in getting it. As she reaches the one-year mark, she is also learning to feed herself “grown-up” food. This is a time-consuming, and messy process, but necessary for her continued growth!) While I learn a lot from my pastor’s sermons, and have great respect for the time he must spend studying the Word to prepare for them, that should not be my only form of spiritual nourishment. Should the fact that I have a young daughter, and take care of my husband and our home, excuse me from spending time with the Lord, studying His word on my own? No! Instead, that should be the very thing that causes me to desire it (and do it!) even more!

My relationship with the Lord is my highest priority. My relationship with my husband is also an extremely important part of my life. We are both busy since the arrival of our daughter, but we make time to talk to each other, and maintain our relationship. You make the time for the important things. Who am I to tell the Lord that I can’t possibly get up one minute earlier, or I have too much laundry to do, or too many errands to run, and I just don’t have the time for Him and His Word. Does being the mother of a young child excuse my laziness in allowing someone else to do the work for me?

The song “Closer to You” (from the album The Race, by This Hope) has been playing frequently in my home and car over the past few weeks. I love the honesty of the song, which is a sincere prayer at the end of a busy day, reflecting on several questions that I constantly struggle with.

• Are too many things taking my time from You?
• Did I spend each hour pursuing You, or did I fill each minute with what I thought I had to do?
• Was the joy you’ve given flowing free, or was I so busy living You were nowhere to be seen?

I now have this song memorized. And, the lyrics often run through my head as I go to bed. Being a person who is prone to fill each and every moment of the day (and sometimes the night!), this song has been a great encouragement to me. It has become my own prayer as I seek to evaluate whether or not my time truly reflects my priorities. I do not want to become so consumed with the “details” of everyday life that I miss out on the joy of truly knowing my Lord!