maintaining balance...

My life. true story. (and yes i'm a nerd for actually taking the time to figure this out) But seriously - what's wrong with this picture?

Work, school, sleep, eat, study...a large portion of my life is spent doing these things. I have about 2.5 hours of "flex time"/day (time that is not specifically designated to a certain task). i live life through a planner...and though i love spontaneity, my schedule frowns upon it. With school demanding excellence, work demanding time and energy, my church family demanding devotion, it is difficult to maintain balance.

One thing that i'm embarrassed by, more than i can hardly admit is the fact that the smallest percent of my time is spent with the Lord in QTs (quiet time). How is it that the thing that i love the most and get the most joy from is what i do least...? God is everything to me...but does my pie-chart reflect it?

i'm going to venture to guess that analysing this data may lead you to conclusions that may not be true in relation to the time i spend with my Lord (a common mistake in deviation statisticians don't account for when looking at hard data)

Have you forgotten that God is ever-present and where I am, there He is also? Though i have specific time each day set apart for just me and Jesus time, my whole day is (in hopes) centered around Him. There is no where that i can go that God is not there (Ps 139). When i'm at work, He gives me that grace and energy that i need. When i'm in class, He gives me the perseverance and focus that i need. When i'm with my family, He gives me the love that i need. God is ever present, whispering words of encouragement and rebuke. The amount of time my mind enters into the throne room of my Lord cannot be estimated on a pie-chart...nor the songs of praise sung in my heart, nor the conversations of the gospel with the saved and lost, nor the amount of time delighting in His creation or meditating on His Word.

In the moment, i choose to put Christ first in my life. i have to make a conscious decision to set apart Christ in my mind when i'm at work, at school, working out - whatever. It is easy to get sucked into life: time doesn't stop, responsibilities don't get lighter, more people/more things demand my attention, etc...God can suddenly becomes another "task."

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve....But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Sometimes it's demanding just to "live" by the world's standards. It's an everyday temptation to get sucked into the ways of the world and it's fleeting lusts. It will lie to you and tell you that you don't have a life without this, or that, or by doing this, or taking part in that. But. let me tell you something: abiding in Christ is the only way you will ever experience true LIFE.

We don't have much time here on this earth. Life is short. What you choose to do with it, may make a difference for eternity.

"Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Ps 90:12)