The Habit of Seeking Jesus

My husband likes to joke that when the clock strikes 9 p.m. I turn into a pumpkin. It’s not a total exaggeration. I much prefer early mornings than late nights, and my energy levels deplete quickly in the evenings. Still, in this season of life, most of my free time now is at night. Early mornings can be a bit unpredictable in our house, depending on how much sleep the kids and I get. Even when I wake early to enjoy the morning, I more often than not have a little buddy with me. I’m convinced my oldest child can sense that I’m awake somewhere in the house and must find me.

With limited alone time I have to choose between what is good, better, and best to accomplish with my time. Do I scroll social media, tidy the kitchen, or do I open my Bible and pray? Do I hope there will be time in the morning to read my Bible, or do I push through my pumpkin state to spend time with Jesus? My ideal scenario to have quiet time reading God’s Word is sitting at a clean kitchen table drinking a cup of hot chocolate in the early morning. That scenario has become more of a dream than anything else in the last few years. The reality is that even in the midst of all the blessings God has given me and the wonderful season of life we’re in right now in our marriage and with our young children, I still have to fight for intentional time with Jesus.
 
I find myself easily discouraged when my prayer time isn’t as long or as meaningful as I’d like. I can feel defeated when it takes me so long to read through a book in the Bible. Yet God has said that time spent seeking Him is not wasted. Many times we can read in the Bible the importance of seeking God. The kids and I have been studying Israel’s kings and read how, before his death, one of David’s charges to his son Solomon included a command, a warning, and a promise. In 1 Chronicles 28:9, David commands Solomon to know God and serve Him honestly, for God knows the hearts of His people, and to remember that “If you seek him, he will be found by you.” Seek, for God does not wish to hide from those who search for Him.

I met a mother of young children recently who encouraged me greatly. I confessed to her my struggle with letting go of my expectations of what I would like my quiet time to look like and instead embrace the season of life. She shared with me an example her mother had demonstrated to her and her siblings since her early childhood. My friend’s mother would sit at the kitchen table to read and pray while her children played and ran around her. The kids would seek her attention and she would gently remind them that she was spending time with Jesus because she loved Him and it was important to her. My friend told me her mother would invite them to join her if they wanted, as long as they remembered to respect it was a time dedicated to Jesus.
 
The story served as a beautiful illustration for me that we don’t have to wait for that perfect time of day or the ideal circumstances to spend time with Jesus. The point is to seek Jesus, to learn more of Him and from Him, with a desire to grow more like Him. I was encouraged to create rhythms around my season of life and cultivate a habit. I was encouraged to continue to slow down in the midst of busy schedules and various responsibilities and choose Him over and over and create the habit of seeking Him. I hope you are too.

Every day we can choose to say to Jesus, “You matter most. You are what is best.”