Today, I resumed my ordinary work schedule. The basic 9–5 (or 8–4:30 in my case). I was unable to work due to a lack of childcare. In the mist of my unplanned vacation, I was able to bond with my child, care for our home, and rest in the comfort of stillness. I was also able to make time for God. Every morning I rose before my daughter to pray and have God speak to me via the Word of God. Making room for God is easy when you’re not on a restricting schedule.
But as last week came to a close, I pondered how I would give God time. How could I squeeze Him into my packed schedule? I normally would work Him in while I ate breakfast. However, that always felt like inadequate time for God. It felt rushed and in turn, I didn’t feel a real connection to what I was reading — let alone a connection to God. As work days rolled by, work would obviously consume my time. After work, being a mother and a wife would take the remainder of my day.
How was I to make enough time?
God knows my heart though, right? He understands that my love for Him remains the same and those 5 to 15 minutes in the mornings should be enough, right?
I have always LOVED sleep. I still enjoy it but as a mother of a 1 year old, sleep is not at the top of my priority list anymore. Having a child shifts your perspective and you realize it’s not about you anymore. Sleep has to wait because caring for your child is more important. I would wake up at 5 a.m. everyday just to pump for breast milk. I would pump 3 times a day at work and one more time at home in the evenings.
Everything I did revolved around my daughter’s nursing schedule and my pumping schedule. I sacrificed A LOT just so I could give her the best. My sleep didn’t matter. If I fell behind at work, it didn’t matter. Anyone potentially being offended by public nursing didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except for making sure I maintained my milk supply and ensuring my baby was healthy and satisfied.
Then, I had to ask myself…Is breast milk more important than God?
I could get up at 5 a.m. to pump but I can’t get up at 5 a.m. for prayer and meditation. I could pump through my lunch break but I can’t read my bible during lunch because I need to scroll through social media. Isn’t my spiritual walk with God more important than breast milk? Of course it is. It sounds like a stupid question quite frankly. Yet, when we find time for everything else on our agenda but no time for God, the message we’re sending God is very clear. Jonathan McReynolds has a song entitled Make Room. A few of the lyrics are:
I find space for what I treasure
I make time for what I want
I choose my priorities and
Jesus you’re my #1
— Jonathan McReynolds, Make Room
It’s a beautiful song. The message is even more appealing. The song says my habits, my attitude, my plans, my itinerary can all be moved over to make room for God. It is of upmost importance as Christians to seek God first (Matthew 6:33).
Would you go a day without talking to your spouse, child, or those most important to you? No, you wouldn’t. Yet, you could survive without their conversation. It may hurt to go without it, but you’d live. What about food? Would you go a week without food? Unless you are fasting, I doubt it. Most people wouldn’t go a day without eating. Most people would also not go a day without eating a few times in one day. The result of not eating can cause low energy levels, irritability, and if we go too long without it, eventually death. Yet, feeding your spirit is just as essential, if not more essential, as feeding your body.
Matthew 4:4 (KJV)
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Jesus equated reading the Word of God with food. It nourishes us. It gives us fuel to make it through the day. But sometimes, all we do is pray. Prayer is good. God recommends it. It’s the way we talk to God and communication is key to any relationship. Prayer is our way of speaking to God and reading the bible is God's way of speaking to us. So, when we refuse to open our bibles, we aren’t letting God speak.
What kind of relationship only allows room for one person to speak? I’ll answer that for you…
a dysfunctional one.
There’s an old saying that says we have two ears and one mouth for a reason. If He reigns supreme, should you not allow Him to speak to you more than you speak to Him? Allow God to talk to you. Partake in hearing from God daily. This is not something I am regurgitating to you based on what I heard a preacher say. I am telling you what I know from personal experience.
I pondered why I could not hear from God. The answer is simple. I didn’t allow room for Him to talk. And when I did let Him talk, it would be for 5 to 15 minutes tops. That’s a mighty short conversation for someone who is suppose to be number one in my life.
Perspective is paramount. It is evident that although I said God came first in my life, He really didn’t. It breaks my heart to type that. Hurts my pride as well if I were to be honest. But truth hurts they say... and actions speaks louder than words. So, now that I am aware of my truth and my actions, I have to make changes. My life cannot go back to being the same — even if my schedule has.
Hearing from God is just as important as my next meal. I have to make room for Him. If I can make room for liquid gold, I can make room for God. There’s no way I will let God think I value breast milk more than Him.
God trumps my schedule. God trumps my job. God trumps breast milk.