Are you too busy for Jesus?

The alarm went off at 6 a.m. today! Oh my gosh, what was I thinking? I shut it off with hopes of sleeping for another hour but that did NOT happen. Rather than waste time tossing and turning I ground some Dunkin Donut beans, thanked God for waking me up and started making chocolate & caramel chip cookies for our Christmas caroling this evening.

When I first got up the grass was green and the sky, cloudy. Twenty minutes later our Rottweiler was at the door covered in snow. Only in Central New York can it be clear one minute and an inch of snow in less than a half an hour. After forty years of living in Oswego County this process still amazes me. With the aroma of freshly brewed DD coffee and homemade cookies filling the house I sat to spend a little time listening to hear what God had for me today.

Before I could do this I heard the “beep” on my cellular phone to let me know I had a text. I knew who it was but couldn’t believe it was that late already. I was helping a friend today before she did my hair so I knew this was my “I’m up.” text. I loaded my stuff in the car, scraped the ice from the windshield and slid my way to her house. As I drove and prayed for travel mercies I tried to figure out when in the day I would have time for God.

You heard me I thought and even said out loud while I was driving, “When do I have time for you God?” Yikes. Later in the morning a friend invited us to her churches Bethlehem village at church and I half joked, “I don’t have time for Jesus; I’m trying to get ready for Christmas and help others.” As I shook my head side to side like a wet dog trying to dry herself off, I wanted to bury my head in the sand yet knew at some level it was how I am feeling.

I’m reading a beautiful Advent Devotional written by Paula Davis and her words are inspiration to keep Jesus as the focus this and every Christmas season. Yet instead of opening my Bible, praying for taking time to listen for God’s direction in my day I went straight to work baking cookies, looking at the calendar, and trying to make sure everyone was set for the holiday season. Don’t get me wrong, we need to look out for others and share the love of Jesus with them – especially at Christmas BUT…

The hustle and bustle should NOT REPLACE Jesus. He deserves our time and I’m a much calmer and clear-minded woman when I’ve started my day with him and not with my list. My mood was like the weather when I got up. At first I was calm and ready for the day but by afternoon I was a storm settling in and I buried myself and loved ones under the snow bank with crankiness and ick because I wasn’t happy with my choices for the day.

Thankfully the words “I’m sorry” when spoken from the heart, followed by “Will you forgive me?” are gifts in themselves. We moved on and enjoyed a fabulous evening of Christmas caroling and sharing Jesus with others for a couple hours.

Tomorrow…I start with him. Will you?

My friend Elaine W. Miller shared this song with me. I pray you take a minute to listen, what line will you stand in?