Making time for God…

"In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. " -Mark 1:38 Bertram Polloch was at one time the Bishop of Norwich. As Bishop of Norwich, Polloch was continually being pulled in a million different directions with people coming and going, clamoring for his attention. He knew that he needed time for self care, and connection with God.  Bishop Polloch had certain times set aside on his calendar for prayer and spiritual connection. No matter who came to see him at those times scheduled on his calendar, they were told that he could not be interrupted because "he had an appointment with God". I admire Bishop Polloch for his ability to ensure that he fostered his relationship with God. I often find it hard with the many things piled on my desk to take time for prayer, meditation and self reflection. I don't often put God in my appointment book and I wonder if it might not be a practice to try this coming Lenten Season. Do we really make time for God in our busy modern day 21st Century over-scheduled lives? We are tempted to say "Yes" we make time for God. We go to Church, we say the prayers, sing the hymns and even offer a hug or two at the Peace but if we are honest with ourselves, outside of formal worship we make little room for God. Most of our meetings with God are not planned. Our prayers are occasional, spontaneous, spur of the moment prayers. If we meet with God, it's usually an emergency or a crisis. Most often during those time when our backs are up against the wall, bills are due, a child is sick, it’s the end of the semester and there are exams to take, too many papers to write, too many proposals to get in, we need help. If the truth be told, God is the last resort when everything else has failed so we figure "I've tried everything else, now I'll will try God." I suspect that if I had a friend that the only time I called on them was when I was in trouble or needed help I would soon find myself one friend short. An occasional visit or prayer doesn't foster relationship with our families and friends and it certainly does not foster relationship with God. If we love God, why do we find it so hard to make time to talk to God and to let God talk to us? The truth is God will always be there when we need to talk and even more so when we need to listen but building a relationship with God can only benefit us in the long run. We need to have an appointment with God every day. It needs to be a priority engagement that cannot be broken. I invite you to join me during the season of Lent to put a "God-appointment" on your calendar that cannot be broken. I'll let you know how I do…

Taking time for Time...

Last week I had lunch with a friend of mine who lives “the fast paced life”. We had to schedule our lunch almost three months out just to get it on his calendar and make time to nourish our friendship.

One of the first things that we talk about whenever we get together for lunch (or for any function for that matter) is how busy our lives have become. He said to me while the warm rolls arrived at our table, “you know I didn't grow up thinking that one of these days I’d have no time to do much of anything.”

It sounded like the lament of modern life, there is just not enough time to do the things that truly give us life. I thought a moment about what he said and found myself saying something along the lines of, “It’s your time, do what you need to do with it.”

The second those words came out of my mouth I realized I was talking to myself more than I was to my lunch companion. I thought of my calendar and how quickly it can fill up with the obligations of my vocation. How quickly I can get overwhelmed with needing to reply, respond and act on everything that comes across my desk and every invitation to engage. But in the end I am the one in charge of my time and my calendar.

We live in a busy world and often we feel pulled in seven different directions ten times a day, all this before lunch. But God calls us to make time, not just time for our friends and families but make time for ourselves and our souls to commune with God. How daring would it be if we actually scheduled that time in our blackberrys and smart phones. Would we look at the blocked out 1/2hour or hour that says “God time” on our calendars and decide that it’s expendable in favor of a meeting or an errand? Would we actually keep that appointment?

If we are so driven by our calendars and the hands of the clock maybe we do need to put “God time” on our calendars as a regular appointment, I know I will going forward. Try it! See what happens.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. 9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.