The other day, I had a very serious talk with my Future Hubs about just how crazy busy our lives have gotten recently. Scott has been between jobs the past two or three weeks, and we are blessed that he will be starting a new job with Charleston County Schools this coming week, but even with the time off... his life has stayed filled with "stuff" just as much as mine has.
We recognized that in all of the hustle and bustle (speaking of bustle... I have got to remember to get my dress to a seamstress.. ahh! The to-do list is never-ending!).. we are losing sight of the MOST IMPORTANT things.. like quiet time to worship and commune with our Heavenly Father and time to just BE together, not running errands together, not watching movies together, not even going to church together... just time to be Scott and Natasha.. together.
I know it sounds silly, but I really feel that it is so important to remember little things like time in a relationship - whether it be with Our Father or with our significant other. Without that time, you can so easily grow into two different people. I've talked to so many people who wonder when and how the object of their love grew into someone totally different, especially when they were "together" all the time. What were you doing with that time, though? Were you actually getting to know each other better? Or were you simply two people in the same room or same car? Time together should be just as much about quality as it is quantity.
This is mostly true of your significant other (or spouse for those of you who have already made that commitment.. as I will in just under four months). When it comes to God, though, He never changes.. we do. We allow ourselves to become slaves to the tyranny of the urgent.. the everyday stuff that seems like it has to get down now! But God wants more than the scraps of time left in our lives after all of our errands are run. I am so guilty of allowing the everyday "emergencies" to dictate my life. I am imperfect, and I need to remember to give my life over to the true Master and Lord of my life. My relationship with Him is so much more important than the satisfaction that comes from crossing things off of a to-do list.
I am so blessed to be marrying a man that recognizes this and is as convicted by this as I am. We promised each other that we would work harder to recognize when "life" was getting in the way of actually living and learning to know and love our God better, and that we would let the other know when we saw it beginning to happen. I pray everyday that God would continue to bless our relationship, and soon enough our marriage, but I am certain that God cares more about a relationship with us - an actual relationship with us and not just a quick "Hi, God. Thanks for another day, God. Bye, God" every morning, noon, and evening - than the centerpieces, or the floral arrangements, or the tests, or the litany of other truly insignificant things that crowd out our days.So, in conclusion (for now), I pray that God would continue to bless my relationships, and that He would help me to focus my life on living to glorify Him (and not my GPA or my wedding or my residence). I pray that I would be constantly reminded of God's awesomeness, that He is in control of all things, and that I would strive to make Him the number one priority in my life.
Amen.
