First Corinthians 7:34-35 says "The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world - how she may please her husband. And this I say not for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper and that you may serve the Lord without distraction."
Lately I have been distracted! I have been the married woman - married to my job, married to my children, and married to my husband. While I was without a job from October to January, I spent a great deal of time with the Lord. I read the word, I spent the day talking to Him, I listened to music that lifted Him up. It was a mountaintop in my life. One where there were no distractions. No meetings, nobody popping into my office during my lunch quiet time, no thoughts of projects or timelines or issues. I was just fellowshipping. But living on a mountaintop is reserved for monks and gurus. I am neither.
I miss the daily walks with the Lord. I miss the undistracted time of communion with my Father. But let's be totally honest He hasn't gone anywhere. He is walking with me every step of the way. He is there for the moments when I can push past the distraction. The problem isn't God - it is me - it is my lack of singular focus. Being available for time with God is a discipline.
Someone recently reminded me how hard it is to be self motivated with all the stuff that happens in our daily lives. How hard is it for any of us to keep all the balls in the air between family, self, job, volunteering, health. It is easy to give ourselves a pass on the God piece. It is easy to say...I had too much stuff going on today - I said a prayer over my meal or while I was commuting I prayed for crazy drivers around me. We can excuse our lack of focus by saying we are doing all the things that God has given us to do. But the reality is that there is no way to do what God has called us to do without Him.
Look at Job. He had a lot of stuff happening. He was sick, his family was dying around him, his fortune was lost, his friends told him to curse God. He had some distractions and if anyone could have taken the I am too busy excuse it was Job. Yet in the midst of it he says "I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." (Job 23:12) That is single-minded. He was willing to forgo food for the word of God.
Let me ask you this - when was the last time you skipped a meal for anything? Was it for a meeting at work, a sports practice for your child, a commitment at church? Now let me ask you when did you skip a meal to seek the word of the Lord? When did you put your own physical desires behind seeking the Lord? For me it was on a mountaintop a few months ago - but this week I want to live single-minded. I want my life to speak life because my first, middle and last thoughts are of the Lord who wants to be my daily bread and water.
