Quality Time
One morning during my prayer time with Jesus, He said, “I want intimacy with you. But, intimacy takes time to develop. In the busy and rushed world you live in, it’s hard for you to set aside quality time with Me. But, there are rewards for sacrificing this time out of your busy day.”
I replied, “Help me set aside more time to be with You.”
He answered, “I will help you. Are you enjoying yourself this morning?”
I said, “Yes, I am!”
Jesus exclaimed, “I knew you would! Quality time with Me is what you’ve been looking for all your life.”
I said, “I didn’t know it was available to me until recently.”
With a smile, Jesus said, “Yes, I know. Other Christians had taught you it was forbidden fruit. For this reason, you’ll tell others how to walk and talk with Me. I desire to draw many to Myself, but like you once believed, they believe—it’s forbidden fruit. Set the record straight. When you do, many others will experience quality time with Me.”
Barriers, got any?
At one time, I had several barriers to spending time with Jesus. I not only believed intimacy with Him was unattainable “forbidden fruit,” but I also avoided silence. I kept my environment filled with the noisy roar of the world music, TV, and movies to escape from dealing with my emotional barriers to intimacy with Him. Unfortunately, sitting in silence brings to the surface what the noisy roar keeps buried, unprocessed traumas and heart wounds.
For this reason, I know I’m a product of our rushed, busy, and noisy ‘escapism culture.’ These are distractions to quality time with Jesus. There are days I’ve found myself rushing through, so I can get on to the next thing on my ‘To-Do List.’ The time manager in my head demands what I should be doing. So, when Jesus asked me to set aside time to be with Him, I knew the discipline of processing my past pain, patiently waiting, and actively listening for His presence in silence would be challenging to pull off. Yet, obtainable as Philippians 4:13 says. “I find that the strength of Christ’s explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty.”
Keys to Quality Time
I’ve discovered disciplining myself, removing distractions, and focusing on Jesus with wholehearted devotion are keys to quality time. This lifestyle requires intentional sacrifices of my time and my energy. As a result, these spiritual disciplines have produced growth in my connection with Him. As I maintain it, my intimacy with Him deepens.
With this in mind, will you join me by plunging deep into quality time with Jesus?
“I am the light that shines through the cosmos; if you walk with Me, you will thrive in the nourishing light that gives life and will not know darkness.” John 8:12 (VOICE)