How We Spend Our Days

I stumbled upon this wall art at a coffee shop in Cleveland, Tennessee this past December and knew immediately it was something I wanted to see every day. Today it's propped up on my dresser in my bedroom in Tirana and I read it every morning as I get ready for the day.

When I first bought this wall art I thought: "This quote is such a beautiful reminder to live intentionally and make the most out of each day." Gradually though, over the past months, my understanding of this quote has expanded as I think about spiritual formation, my relationships, my time commitments, my work...

I've had this sneaking suspicion for a while, that maybe more isn't more. That maybe God isn't calling me to rush through each day towards more, but rather, to do less at a more reasonable pace, in step with Him.

This year, I discovered John Mark Comer's books and podcasts focusing on Christian spiritual formation. Spiritual formation is all about how Christians can model their way of life after Jesus - based on how He lived when He was on earth. It's about setting up rhythms in your life that foster a more worshipful and obedient heart to Jesus. I've practiced some spiritual disciplines in recent years: Sabbath (consistently), meditation on Scripture (often), silence and solitude (occasionally), and even fasting (rarely - given my health issues, this one is hard for me). In Comer's podcast "Fight Hustle, End Hurry", he spent one episode specifically focusing on the spiritual discipline of slowing down.

Wait, is slowing down even a spiritual discipline? Comer explains that it is: in the gospels we see that Jesus never was in a rush in his ministry. He was unabashedly present with the individual or disciples or crowds in front of Him. We, as Christians, believe that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We are holistic beings. If we can slow down our bodies, we can slow down our souls. We can be more present to the Lord and attentive to the Holy Spirit.

I'm maybe the worst person to be writing this post. I'm someone who is constantly juggling many responsibilities. Some days, I struggle to find time to eat. And then when I do eat, I work on an online class while I'm eating. Or I work on my budget. Or I listen to an audiobook. Or I pray for my upcoming lesson or meeting. Or I write a blog post. :) My body and mind and soul are constantly being pulled forward into the next responsibility, meeting, or task. And I find so much satisfaction in being efficient. And being known as someone who is diligent and efficient. But is this how Jesus lived when He was on earth? Was He "efficient"?

In Comer's podcast episode, he references the story in the gospels of the woman who poured perfume on Jesus' feet (John 12). She "wasted" a year's worth of wages to honor and worship Jesus. What if I viewed my time and attention this way? What distractions or even extra responsibilities (that are good, but are not truly mine to manage) can I give up so I can slow down my days and "waste" more time with Jesus?

This past week I went to a worship night held by the YWAM team in my city and God encouraged my heart that: My decisions of faithfulness and obedience to Him are not wasted. And any time spent worshipping Him isn't wasted. And maybe, these days, what my heart (and body and spirit) most need is to create rhythms in my life that allow me to be more present with Jesus and those around me.

With joy,

Annie