So often, most of us get distracted and forget the things that we know we should be doing, focusing instead on the things that are pressing at the time. Whether it’s with things around the house, things at work or things with the family, it’s so easy to let what’s immediate distract us from what’s important.
I know that creating space for Jesus in my life is important. I mean, I work at a church — obviously I know it’s important. But there are times where the immediate things going on in my life — even church work — distract me from the most important thing. So how do we get to the point where we are able to focus our time on Jesus in the midst of dealing with what’s immediate?
Stop. If you never take a moment to simply stop, you’re always going to be distracted by what is immediate. Taking care of the immediate is our default action. It’s not until you put down the work of the immediate that you’re able to see what’s actually most important.
Get alone. At c|Life, we believe that life change happens best in the context of relationships. That’s why we believe so strongly in Community Groups (CGs) here. But, as important as community is, we need to carve out time to be by ourselves in the presence of God. That’s a model that even Jesus followed in his time here on earth. Get alone and pray, read his Word, and rest in the presence of God.
Make it consistent. This is the hard part. It’s easy for me to do those first couple things. It’s hard, however, for me to do them consistently. I love stopping and getting alone with God, but it’s hard to be consistent in it. But if we really want to be people who prioritize the important (our relationship with Christ) over the immediate, we need to be people who are constantly carving time out of our days to do so.
Bring others with you. The best way I’ve found to stay consistent in this is to invite others on the journey with me. This is where community becomes so important. After the sermon on Sunday, one of the guys in our CG, Brandon, texted all of the guys in our group saying that he wanted to be more consistent in spending time with Jesus. So he started a plan, invited us along with him, and has been texting us every morning with his thoughts on what he read that morning. I’ve said it already, but life change happens best in the context of relationships. Bring people with you. Do life with them. Grow with them.
Don’t sacrifice what is important for what is immediate.
Stop.
Get alone.
Make it consistent.
Bring others with you.