Making Time for God

It has been almost a week since our return from South Africa, and I can hardly believe it.  There is so much still to write about.  So much still to process.

I hit the ground running last Monday.  I felt the need to get organized and caught up with all I had missed here at home...not to mention getting caught up on sleep.  It wasn't a bad week, per say. It was just ... there.  I will say that it was so wonderful to see my family and share meals with those I love here at home.  And it was great to see my kiddos this past week!  I just felt really unsettled, which I blamed on jet lag and allergies.

Fast forward to today.  I was enjoying a lovely drive to church this morning and listening to David Crowder's song, After All (Holy).  It's a song that always sets my heart to worship, but today I soaked in these lyrics:

"Heaven and earth are full, full of your glory glory.  My soul it overflows, full of your glory glory.  Oh blessed is He who reigns, full of your glory glory.  My cup it can't contain all of your glory glory..."

Well, the dam broke at that point.  I just kept replaying moments from the trip in my head, and I was overcome. 

"My cup it can't contain all of your glory..."  Oh it's so true!  God is full of never ending glory that He keeps pouring out on us.  And we don't always see it or feel it, but it's there.  And sometimes it's so overwhelming, it leaves me a hot mess of tears at the wheel of my car.

I needed that overwhelming moment.  I needed to grieve having to say goodbye (until next year ;) to my friends in South Africa. But not only that, I grieved over having to leave behind all that quiet and concentrated time with God.  I grieved not being able to hold onto that holy space here at home.  I returned from SA and jumped right back into my daily routines, making my lists, managing my single gal household. 

Please don't misunderstand me.  I love my life here.  I love my family and friends, my church, my fabulous job, my community.  This has nothing to do with location.  It has everything to do with how easy it is to get distracted with worldly things in our normal routines.  It's about how easy it is to slip back into bad habits and busy calendars. For me, it's about putting my bible and journal on the shelf and picking up my planner or my ipad.  It's diving into all those things that keep me from seeing all the glory here at home because I'm so wrapped up in the daily grind.

Well, I am vowing not to do that anymore.  And it's going to take everything I have to fight against it.  My bible and journal will be with me wherever I go.  And while I can't totally abandon my planner nor my responsibilities, I can make changes to spend more concentrated time with God and building deeper relationships with my family and friends here. I can make time with God and for God. My God who reigns and fills my cup with overflowing.