Hi lovely people! School, volleyball, and work have been crazy so life has gotten a little in the way of my writing lately. But, crazy enough that is exactly what I’ve been feeling called to write about!
Life can get in the way of a lot of things. Let’s be honest here, EVERYONE is busy today. Work, family, school, friends, social lives, sports, kids; the list is endless. Our society today has more of a “quantity over quality” mindset. The mantra is, “Experience as much as you can while you can!” We are always “going,” which makes it hard to find time to spend with Jesus.
One thing I struggle with personally is having a quiet time every day. “Quiet time” is a common term in the Christian realm that means sitting down for a designated period and being intentional with God. A few examples of this are listening to sermons or podcasts, reading your bible, praying, or journaling. This deepens one’s relationship with Jesus. It is necessary for spiritual growth. No different than spending quality time with a friend is necessary to grow in friendship. My struggle is actually finding the time for it in my day, which I believe is relatable to many.
It makes the most sense for me to have my quiet time first thing in the morning because of my crazy schedule. Yet that puts me starting around 6 am to get my time in before I have to get ready. Let me tell you, I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON. Sleep is a necessity for grumpy Paige to not make an appearance. I’m that person that sets about ten alarms and still gets up late (my roommates can attest to this). Let’s just say it is not very motivating to get up an hour and a half before it’s time to leave.
It is easy to play the comparing game when it comes to this subject. People who have a lot of time in the morning because their class is not until 10 am have a luxury that many do not. I recently confided this struggle to a sweet friend who told me, “Paige our faith is NOT performance-based. This is the Good News! God knows exactly what is on your heart and knows how you feel. Learn to steal the moments that you can with Him during this season!” That stopped me. I started thinking about how true this was. I had times throughout my day that were short breaks. I could steal those to be time with Jesus. Just because they aren’t what I typically think of as my “quiet time” doesn’t mean they couldn’t be productive. I know of plenty of moms who steal their moments at night after their kids have gone to sleep because it is the only chance they get.
My new quiet-time has become regularly between classes or during my weekly hour-long (or longer) drives to Huntington Beach. I steal the moments I can if I don’t wake up early and try to find more time on the weekends. My point is that seasons are just that, seasons. They change. In some, we may have a lot of time to spare. In others, we may have to steal the moments. But no matter what season we are in, God is always there. He knows exactly where we are. Any time spent with Him is special in His eyes.
I hope this is encouraging if you find you have the same struggles!
With love,
Paige Riley
Found in Wandering 