"Therefore, since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles,
and let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us."
Hebrews 12:1
How can we more faithfully serve the Lord in running the race that is set before us? I cannot help but think of a runner who is getting ready for a race. I am not a runner myself, so I can not tell you from personal experience, but I have watched my father get ready for many a race and the conditioning that he would go through for a race needed to be done daily effecting all that he did. It determined what food he would eat, the exercise he would do, the running he would do in preparation for the race and what he would drink so he would not get dehydrated.
Just as a runner needs to be conditioning their body daily, we need to be conditioning our minds and hearts daily with the word of God, to help us diligently and faithfully run the race for our Lord. I look at my life as a mother of three young girls, 4 and under, and I see so many things that so easily get in the way of me spending daily quiet time with the Lord. There are always many things that need to get done on my list, children who need my attention and meals that need to get made just to name a few.
Before we can serve the Lord diligently and faithfully in all the various areas of our lives we need to start at the beginning at the most important part of our lives. I have a list of the areas of my life that need to come first (something I will share at another time), the first thing on that list is my relationship with the Lord. It has been heavy on my heart that I need to be more diligent about making that the first priority in my day and life. My daily quiet time has been something that I have always thought important, but there are those days, here and there, where it is not as consistent as it ought to be. Whether it means not getting the floors mopped that day, not getting an extra side dish made for dinner or not getting the laundry folded right; time with God must come first. By no means am I saying that you or I need to start neglecting everything else but that we prioritize. We need to examine what there is that can be done better, organized better, done with more diligence or better planned out so that our quite time with the Lord happens diligently and daily.
I was just reading about a mom who to fit her time in with the Lord when she sits her children down with a snack to watch their favorite show. I had never thought of doing that but what a great idea. I usually try to fit my quiet time in during naps and when my oldest daughter goes down for quiet time, but what a great idea for when my three little one's naps and quiet times do not happen at the same time. Your time with the Lord does not always need to look the same from day to day, but if you need to, be creative in how you find time to make it happen. The most important thing is that it is happening and that you are learning and growing in the Lord.
Lord, help me to meditate on Your word day and night (Joshua 1:8). Help me to hide Your word in my heart so that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11). I want to glorify You in all that I do and in all that I say!
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