“Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” Psalm 62:8

I wrote this last year, but needed the reminder today. Maybe you need it too…..Starting up my own business has kept me extremely busy over the past several years. I’ve struggled with finding my new normal schedule and “fitting in” everything that needs done.

Being single adds to this because there’s only me to cook, shop, clean, take out the trash, do the business things etc. When I am too busy, Mia, my grumpy and adorable Persian cat, finds some not so subtle ways to let me know that I have been ignoring her. She will come into my office and sit and meow, or run around like a maniac trying to get my attention.

This morning, a Saturday morning in January, I’m struggling to get going with rest. Doesn’t that sound strange? Get going with rest? It is an oxymoron. Instead of immediately resting this morning I put in my breakfast casserole and baked it and piddled around instead of sitting down immediately to come to God and hear Him.

As I headed back over to my couch to do my Bible study and prayer time, Mia, my cat, was sitting there waiting for me. I sat down and she cuddled into my lap and I started to pet her. She began to purr and stretch out her back so I could rub her tummy. I told her I had missed her too and I’m sorry I had been so busy.

And I felt this small whisper from God, “I’ve missed you too.”

How it must grieve Him when I waste so much time on things instead of resting in Him and coming to Him -being with Him. Relationships take time.

What do I need to cut out of my week that is wasting precious time I could be spending with God? Probably some of the scrolling on social media. The mindless numbing of picking up the phone and just looking for something to look at so I don’t have to think about anything else. It’s like an addiction in our society. Video games, phones, computers, TV shows, football games… I could go on.

We find so many things to numb our pain and not stay in the present with what God is doing. No, I’m not saying all of those things are bad all the time, but when we turn to them when we should be turning to God or we ignore God because we’re wasting time with one of them, it is a sin.

Remember sin is just filling a legitimate need in the wrong way. We have a need to feel like we belong so we jump on Facebook and see how many likes we have or what’s going on in other people’s lives so we feel a part of it.

We don’t want to deal with the intrusive thoughts or past trauma or scared feelings, so we turn on a TV show and binge watch an entire season of something. Now hear me on this. I’m talking to myself here. If God uses this to speak to you awesome, but this is what He shared with me today.

The question I asked myself is, “What am I going to do about it?” God is not condemning me, but I need to repent and turn back to Him this morning. What do you need to do?

Father God,
I come to you and I ask You to forgive me for not turning to You and using other things to fill my needs. I want You to be my all and my everything. Help me hear You. Help me rest, and help me sit and be still and grow my relationship with You.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

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