As I previously stated, I selected my dad as my mentor. The build up to finals has kept me crazy busy, but I have carved out some times to meet with him. In one of our meetings we talked about the importance of Christianity in my life. He told me how much I needed to commit to my relationship with God. Typically I will vacillate between spending a good amount of time reading my Bible and praying and times when I barely spend any time in the word. On the other hand, my dad has gotten up up every morning for years to read his Bible and pray, in order to grow closer with God.
In this meeting, my Dad encouraged me to do likewise. He told me that I will never have any regrets of spending more time with God. He just told me that the little bit of sleep or study time I gain in exchange for skipping the time reading my Bible is minuscule, but spending that time in the word will change my life. It is hard sometimes as a college student to find time every day to spend in the word, but I understand where he is coming from. It is easy to take your relationship with God for granted when you grew up in a Christian home and in the church. He started reading his Bible as a teenager and it changed his life. Just reading his Bible each day with dedication has shaped him into one of the godliest men I know. Even in the midst of finals coming up and the tumult that they entail, I hope to put his advice into practice. Too often I have put off my relationship with God in favor of other things. My dad's advice made me realize that I needed to reprioritize my life. If I cut out time that I would spend reading my Bible so that I can read the news or watch sports, it is not that I am too busy, I am just not making that a priority. In sum, I hope to put his advice into practice in the coming weeks and make spending time with God a priority again. I know it will be difficult and it takes discipline, but I am going to try to follow his guidance, even if it means only reading for a few minutes each day.
It's good to see you and your dad being able to talk to each other and hold each other accountable for spending time with God. Sometimes at Wheaton it can be hard to remember to get into spending time with God because He is mentioned in other classes, sports, etc. but setting aside time with is a very good thing. Keep up the work of trying to find the right balance of spending time on other events but also keeping to spending a quality amount of time with God.
ReplyDeleteFagan,
ReplyDeleteI found your post to be very convicting. In my own life, I have found it to be very difficult to balance my relationship w/ God w/ the general business of life. Prioritizing is all about discipline and the will to neglect unnecessary things in order to invest in one's relationship w/ the Lord.
Thanks for sharing Fagan,
David