"Dad, come play with me."
"Mom, I'm hungry! Will you fix me lunch?"
"Mom, I spilled milk on my shirt."
"Dad, will you fix this?"
These are just a few small examples of the demands of a parent. I have five kids and there are several requests made in the span of thirty seconds. These requests would not be an issue if you separate them, but when they all come at you quickly and demand to be resolved yesterday it can be a little much. Parenting isn't the only area of our lives that we are expected to have multiple demands placed in front of us to resolve. Your job has deadlines for you to meet on top of meetings to attend which interfere with your routine tasks that must be done every day. Nevermind all of the things that could go wrong that you need to address immediately because everything is an emergency when it's not going according to plan! Most of us will never live a life in America, if things stay the way they are, where our plates will be empty and we will have nothing to worry about except what we want to worry about. Around every corner is some task or concern that demands our efforts. If it demands our efforts, it demands our time.
In the last post we discussed being sober-minded with our time and how our identity is wrapped up into the vain effort of trying to gain approval. This post I want to dive into evaluating how much time we have versus how much time is demanded of us. Like I mentioned in the first paragraph, no matter what sphere you find yourself in, there will always be some request for your time. If it didn't, then its likely a sphere that doesn't need you in it and something you can clear your plate of and not go back for seconds. The things that do require your time will always pull time away from doing something else. Something maybe even a little more important. In 1 Peter 5:8 when we see that "your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion," we can apply this to our time as well.
If you made a list of daily habits that you wish to have and put them next to a list of daily habits you currently have, the chances are they would look different. In some cases dramatically different. You might desire to wake up early, have a workout routine, read a book, have a 30 minute prayer time three times per day, talk a walk, work on a hobby, do an extra chore for your spouse, spend one on one time with your kids, and watch an episode of your favorite TV show all in a days time on top of your daily obligations. What you might currently experience is wake up at the time you HAVE to be up in order to be ready for the day, scroll through facebook and get aggravated at an article and then read some news article related to the article you saw on facebook, rush out the door, fulfill your daily obligations, come home and check out to some TikTok, cooke and eat dinner, go back to the recliner, give your kids the tablets or help with homework, get them ready for bed, and then go to bed yourself. Let's not forget the random hiccups like your truck will barely start and needs to be fixed. The lawn looks overgrown and needs to be mowed. The hampers are overflowing and so laundry needs to be done. Food is dwindling in the pantry so a grocery trip is a must. The kids are in a foul mood and so they are fighting over who had what first and who it belongs to. We're scrolling through instagram and got some notifications and we get wrapped up in a world outside out own. This list can go a mile long, but it serves the purpose of giving us a point of reference to what we do with our time and why it's so easy to be distracted.
One of my closest friends was preaching a sermon about distraction recently and he used the term "disconnected-connection" to explain our relationship with other people on social media. This term really hit me hard and made me think through the things I say I am connected to but still incredibly distant from. I am completely convinced that the enemy that is prowling and roaring like a lion is the cause behind all of this. This loud roar is the little voice in your head that causes you to choose the easier path rather than the more resistant path in your day to day life. The enemy uses our limited time to distract us by roaring the loudest as an advocate for the things that do not have as much of a positive impact on our lives. It's like every time we could make healthier choice in the kitchen, his roar persuades us to go to McDonalds because its more convenient than being self controlled and eating something that isn't as satisfying on the taste buds. When we finally decide to start working out to try and get stronger and more disciplined, the roar of the enemy reminds us that binge watching TV or scrolling through social media is more entertaining than helping our bodies become a better tool to serve others and protect our families. Every time we set our alarm to wake up earlier for some time in the Bible or in prayer, his roar is visibly seen and shines brightly on our phones as a snooze button that lets us sleep a little longer because that nice cozy bed and sleep that doesn't really help you feel rested is much more important than spending time with The Lord. We become so connected to our current habits that we are incredibly disconnected from being the people God made us to be.
He did not give us our bodies to trash with terrible food. These bodies are one of the greatest creations ever made and we have a bent toward fueling them with food and drinks that we have no idea what they are actually made of. He did not give us our bodies so that we can let them be idle. We we're made with muscle on our body in order to be effective for work and safety and completing tasks, not sleeping and sitting all day. He did not give us our time to spend it in leisure every moment we have. Our time on this earth has been set and when you get to the end of it, we're not going to say "man, I wish I had a few more facebook posts to read before I die." You're not going to get to the end of your life missing TikTok videos as much as you are wishing you had spent more time with The Lord and your family. I am not the poster child for getting this right. I have a long way to go and I fully admit that. At the end of the day though, realizing that you need to do something about it is the very first step. If you give the enemy the drop, he will "devour" you in a heartbeat and consume your life with hours of useless busyness because you haven't stood up to him and said, "Not today!"
If you knew someone was sitting at your door every day and looking in your window at you and your family trying to find ways to hurt them or haunt them, you would do everything you could to make sure you kept them safe and to make sure you were prepared to confront them boldly and courageously. I am here to tell you that every time you take the easy path, you're taking a path that leads to the enemy that is ready to devour you. The enemy is ever present and ready to devour you spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, and in any other way you have not prepared for.
Every time you have to make a decision, listen for that roar. Listen for the enemy that his salivating over your failure to love The Lord and enjoy the true blessings He has given you. The enemy may be a stalking predator right now, but you have the opportunity to make him your prey. This roaming beast that is lurking loudly and ready to devour has already been defeated and mounted on a wall because Christ was first mounted on a cross. When sooner we take stock in our daily lives and realize that this loud roar of the enemy is only as loud as we allow it to be, the sooner we can become free to utilize the power of discipline and the fruit of self-control via the Holy Spirit for the sake of being better citizens of and for the Kingdom of God.
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