Standing God Up

I was talking to a friend on TikTok the other day about how hard it is to start my day with God in the Word, because upon waking there’s already a laundry list of things to do for the day. I bedshare with my son so it’s almost impossible to get out of bed before him these days because toddler sleep just isn’t the same as infant sleep- any sudden move away from him and he’s awake too (whether he’s ready to get up or not).

So, our day starts together- my son and I. It’d be easiest to start our day by resetting the house for our homeschool preschool, start breakfast, or go for a walk before it gets way too hot in this Florida sun. But I know all too well if my day starts with these things first, my day will end with God being unintentionally stood up.

I’ll have the intention to open my bible while my son eats breakfast, but I’ll unload the dishwasher instead. I’ll push those intentions to open my bible during naptime, but eating lunch and working on personal projects will take hold. Then before I know it my son is awake. I’ll tell myself it’s okay, you can do your bible study while he plays independently, but instead I’ll start making dinner or baking some bread for the week. The intention to meet with God for our bible study will undoubtedly be pushed to after my son falls asleep for the night. Who am I kidding? I’ll be too deep in a doom scroll session of Pinterest or TikTok at this time of night.

The day has come to an end. I made plans with God, but I stood him up today. I’m glad he’s a God of forgiveness, because I’ve done this way too many time to count. Can you relate? If it were any one of us and we’d been stood up the same amount of times we’ve stood God up we’d have undoubtedly broken off the relationship by now. This is why my day must start deep in the word of God.

During the conversation with my friend on TikTok about starting the day with God she shared a quote with me that hit me monumentally.

“We spend the shortest amount of time with God throughout the day, but we expect to spend eternity with Him.”

— Unknown

Those words really stuck with me. I hope they continue to stick with me forever. Here I thought I was doing something by spending forty-five minutes to an hour reading my bible each morning, praying after my bible study and at mealtimes. It all seemed miniscule after reading the words of that quote.

My morning bible study no long seemed like enough. I suddenly wanted to find God in every corner of my day. Coincidentally, a few days after my my friend shared this quote my bible study entailed reading 1 Thessalonians- a blueprint for how I could meet with God throughout my day.

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Meeting with God for only an hour or less out of my day then moving on with life suddenly felt like I was standing him up for the rest of the day. An hour in the morning was a convenience for me- it made me feel like I was doing my part. But, one single hour out of twenty-four when He’s offering me an infinite amount of eternal hours suddenly felt insufficient. I needed to start living my days as 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18. Always rejoicing. Constantly in prayer. Giving thanks throughout every aspect of the day.

For most of my life I’ve been getting wrapped up in the day to days of life that I’d forgotten spending time with God and not standing him up every day is as simple as meeting him for a simple thank you and a quick prayer while I’m living those day to days. I think sometimes we make worship such a huge task in our minds we lose sight that it’s as simple as greeting God with a quick hello and thank you at the red light.

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