When Things Get Too Busy to Connect with God
By Kelly Balarie
Bible Reading
“'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’” – Matthew 11:28 NIV
Scrolling is resting. That’s the lie I tell myself anyway, as I settle down with my phone for ten minutes. That’ll do the trick. Of course, we all know that ten minutes of scrolling easily turns into thirty.
The more I scroll, the more I see what people are upset with, what’s going wrong in the world, what looks like a perfect life for others, and whatever else is mindless. Finally, hopping off the phone, am I better for it? Hardly. Did it eat up my time? Absolutely. Do I know what is going on in the world? I think so. Am I more stressed? One-hundred percent.
As the day goes on, life happens and I have to handle it all – bills, kids, a move, requests, need of others. Come evening, I seek rest again. A movie? That could do the trick.
I watch the movie and head to bed. In bed, conviction hits me. What happened to my time with God today? What happened to my time with God all this week? I spent so much time scrolling on the phone and watching tv that my time with the Lord evaporated. My time in His Word was measly. My time in prayer was non-existent.
In my pursuit of seeking worldly rest, I missed it entirely. In fact, before I even came to this realization, in bed, I had to repent of watching the movie I watched and all those icky parts in it.
The dialogues of offense at some church scandal gripped my mind.
What the world suggests is rest is not rest at all; it is time to sit down and to cultivate inner turbulence that we will have to work out later. It may feel good in the moment but we will pay for it down the road.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’” – Matthew 11:28 NIV
Only when I come to Jesus do I come to know real rest. Only when I hear His words, are the words of my mind calmed by the Prince of Peace. Only when I step away to pray can I see His best way.
Distraction is a delusion that doesn’t serve us. Yet, our focus on Jesus is devotion that can’t be stolen from us. It is only godly devotion that leads to inner recuperation of spirit, body, and mind. The world slimes us with sin, pressure, and problems, while Jesus heals us because He is The Way, The Life, and The Truth.
I had to admit that I had, inadvertently, traveled far from God. Lying in bed, I realized that God was setting up my comeback!
“Come to me…” Jesus said.
He is always saying that. Are we listening? Come to me, you who are weary? Come to me, you who are numbing yourself in alcohol. Come to me, you who are immersing yourself in a busy schedule because you can’t handle how you feel. Come to me, you who are hiding behind your phone. Come to me, you who are pretending you have it all together.
God still wants you, dear child of God. He wants you to come. This is your come-back party, too. If you hear His voice, follow Him. If you feel worldly burdens, unload them on Him. If you are under too much pressure to survive, let Him take that load.
He is inviting you to come to Him.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What is grabbing your attention? Is it distraction due to the world or are you giving attention to Jesus? Where your attention is, so is your devotion. What you give your heart to, has you. Consider your day. How can you carve out time for God? Time for connection? What on your calendar might you need to remove? How can you use spare moments to carve out times of intentional prayer or connectedness with the Lord?
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Related Resource: How Habit Stacking Will Help You Discipline Your Mind, Body, & Spirit
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