“We only believe as much of the Bible as we practice.” – Warren Wiersbe
I’ve been so busy lately, but if you asked me what I’ve been doing, I wouldn’t know what to say. Cleaning the house? Chasing bugs with an electric tennis racket? Cooking and doing laundry and trying to keep the mound of dirty dishes smaller than the pile of clean ones? Forcing myself to put words on a page even when I can’t feel them coming fast and free? Having coffee with dear friends? Praying for our church? Studying the book of James and being radically challenged by it?
All of these are good, good things.
But sometimes my list feels so insignificant.
And in those moments I have to fight hard to remember…
There were times when I felt so busy and people asked me why and it wasn’t because I was setting aside time to read God’s Word or because I was taking time to pray. It was because scrubbing my house spotless and keeping the fridge perfectly stocked and writing lesson after lesson for Kids Church and working most evenings and trying to see everyone and do everything.
If you asked I would shamefacedly admit that wished I had time to read God’s Word, but say that I didn’t.
There comes a time when you just have to face up to life and say that something isn’t working. That my priorities aren’t showing in how I live, which really means that my priorities aren’t what I say they are. That looking like a good person is more important that spending time with the Almighty God.
Because no matter how many pies there are to bake and floors there are to scrub and no matter how much glory I bring to God by serving and keeping my house well that is never an excuse for failing to spend time with Him. I should never assume that by substituting time with Him for time doing things for Him I am somehow more holy.
This is where my breathing is wrong.
I’m trying to do the breathing out without the breathing in.
And in the process, my life is showing the world that looking like a good person is more important than a relationship with my Savior.
So my house is a little messier and most days I go without makeup, but I’m fighting to keep the first thing first. To keep Jesus first.
And sisters…hear me as I cry out that I’m not perfect. The next few days you’ll get to read all the ways I fail to breathe Him in daily and fail to order my priorities right. And you’ll get to watch as I breathe in His grace for my mistakes over and over and over again. And I am praying that that grace is breathed out to you here too.
But that grace doesn’t mean we get to stay the same. That grace is freedom and life and joy to put Him first and to step by step become more like Him. So let’s journey together in grace toward rightly order priorities and life that looks like what we say we believe.
Be blessed
<3
