“It never gets any easier. There will always be something ‘urgent’ or ‘sparkly’ to distract you.” This was a wise word from a mentor. She encouraged me, when my girls were toddlers, to put into practice, “chair time” – a daily meeting with the Lord.
Yes, in some ways it does get easier physically. In different seasons of life you may not have to hide in the bathroom to get alone time, with your “chair” as the toilet seat. And you may not be as sleep deprived. But emotionally? Spiritually? Not so much.
What would Satan like more than to keep us from the priority of reflecting on God’s Word, opening ourselves to His power and presence?
We would never say it this way, but I think the way Satan distracts us most often is to get us thinking we are indispensable.
The world may stop spinning if I don’t get this email out, or if I don’t get into work early, or get this call made, or this thing mailed or this insightful tweet posted… I am soooo important!
We frantically commute and call and consult while God calmly causes the sun to rise each morning.
When we meet with God early, the fragrance of Him lingers throughout our day.
We may be reminded to pause and ask Him for wisdom when making a decision.
We may think to breathe in His name when we are impatient.
We may look for the imago dei in the co-worker who gets on our nerves.
Most of all, when we make time with God our most important priority it strengthens our ability to put boundaries in all areas of our life.
In order to say “no” to the things that are draining life from us, the things that are lowering our standards, the things that are drawing us away from our best self, we must first say “Yes!” to chair time with God.
Where’s your “chair”? This morning I texted a young friend at 5:45, thinking she would just get the text when she woke up, but instead she responded right away with this picture 🙂 She was having her chair time.
If you want a couple of resources for chair time, check out:
