Too Busy for God

By: Susie Davis

Have you ever noticed that it’s cool to have a lot going on? I mean, when someone asks you what you’ve been doing, you don’t want to say you’ve been watching the weather channel trying to understand barometric pressure or learning how to tweeze your eyebrows. You want to have something to say. Everyone in our culture seems to want to have lots going on. Maybe we use busyness to help us know we’re valued, or maybe it’s just the by-product of too many options. It’s just hard to say no when there are so many wonderful things to say yes to.

Whatever the case may be, if we’re too busy for God, we’re just too busy. Period. If you find yourself in this situation, read on. You’ll find some helpful ways to make time for God in spite of a busy day or a busy life.

1. Make time with God a priority.

You’ve probably heard it said that we find time for what we really care about. You probably take the time to brush your hair and get ready each morning. Most likely you gibe some attention to responding to important calls or e-mails. And you don’t miss out on important conversations with that someone special when he calls or stops by. So why is it that time with God is often the last thing on our list? We do it if we find extra time, but when other things come up; it’s sometimes the first thing to go.

Could it be that we know God will forgive us? I mean, that’s his specialty, right? And we can’t always be assured our teacher will forgive us if we’re late or that a friends will overlook an unreturned call. So we take advantage of his forgiveness, knowing that he’ll be waiting for us the next time. But why not just set time with God as our top priority? That way other things may not get done or other people may not hear back from us, but God will. We just determine that time with him is the last thing we toss out on a busy day. If you’re willing to make that commitment, stop right now and pray. Ask him to help you commit to spending time with him each day, whether it is first thing in the morning, right after school, or before bed.

2. Say not to something else.

While it’s not popular to say no to opportunities that come up, sometimes we just have to if we’re going to make time with God a top priority. Maybe you’re involved in something that takes so much of your time that you’re unable to keep your commitment to spend time alone with God. If could be a particular extracurricular activity or interest. If this is the case, consider cutting back time spent on this activity. Or you might even want to take a break from it altogether. You can always get involved in that activity later. The world won’t end. I promise. And you might even find that you enjoy having a little free time where you can explore other interests.

Or maybe you are involved in a relationship that takes so much of your time that it’s hard for you to squeeze in time with God. Here’s a radical though. Why not turn down the intensity of your relationship? If the other person doesn’t understand, you don’t need to be pouring all of the time into that relationship anyway.

When I was in high school, a friend of mine decided that she was going to give up dating for a season so that she could focus more on her relationship with God. You may not want to do this, or you may be thinking you wish you had a dating life to take a break from, but there may be something else you want to eliminate so you can spend more time with God. It could be time spent on the computer, watching TV, or shopping. Saying no to something else will mean that you can say yes to the very best of all—Jesus.

Maybe you remember the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible. Martha was very busy. She would have fit in beautifully in our world. But Mary chose to spend time with Jesus. She knew what was most important. She remembered what would matter in the course of forever. Jesus corrected Martha for the way she chose to live her life and praised Mary for her choices. Luke 10:41-42 says, “The Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.’”

Which person do you identify with more? Will you choose the many things that really don’t make a difference or the one thing that is absolutely critical? Make the right choice like Mary—and you won’t regret it. Ever.

3. Schedule time with God.

If you’re going to stay consistent in spending time with God, you have got to set aside the time each day to do it. Make an appointment with God. It might be in the morning or the evening. It could be during lunch or right after school. What works best for you? For many the morning is the best time to spend time with God. Before the day begins with all of its distractions and temptations you can focus on his Word and his perspective.

But what if you’re not a morning person? That’s OK. You’ll just have to plan so you can make it up in the morning. You’ll want to set your alarm earlier and maybe even have some loud tunes pumping. Do whatever you can to wake up, whether that means a cool shower or a tall glass of OJ. Getting up to spend time with God is simply a habit that you can work into your day like taking a shower or brushing your teeth. You wouldn’t leave the house without combing your hair because it’s become a part of your morning ritual. The more mornings you spend with God, the more this will be an irreplaceable step to your morning as well.

4. Ask a friend for help.

Have you ever noticed that we have an easier time keeping our commitment when we know someone else has made the same one? I used to workout with a friend every morning at six. Now you can bet I wouldn’t have dragged myself out of bed if I didn’t know she was waiting for me. Having this friend to hold me accountable helped me keep my commitment to getting in shape.

It’s the same way in our relationship with God. If you know you want to get up each morning for time alone with God but also know you could qualify as an Olympic medalist in pushing the snooze bar, ask a friend to help you. Now I don’t mean that she comes to your house and kicks you out of bed. Just agree together to pray for the other one. And then ask each other how you are doing. You may even want to make a deal together. When each of you has consistently gotten up to spend time with God for a week, you could treat each other to ice cream or some other fun treat. Over time you’ll understand that the real reward is getting to know more of God, but it doesn’t hurt to build in a little incentive when you hold each other accountable.

B&H Publishing Group grants permission to use this excerpt as originally printed in the book TeenVirtue 2 c.2006.

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