How many times do you say, “I am just too busy?” Or “I don’t have enough time in my day to do…”

I bet if I took a poll of folks who read The Courier-Herald, a big percentage would say they are busier than they wish to be. Lately this comes in the statement, “this summer has disappeared. How can it be the end of August already?”

Yet God tells us to take time out. After all, God had the good sense to rest on the seventh day. God has given us commands. “Love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul and all your strength.” And God has said, “Be still and know that I Am God.” These are not options; God did not say do these things when you get around to it.

So how can we love God wholly and pay attention if we cannot even get through our days without feeling behind?

Let’s take a couple of examples where we “have time.” Most of us wait in line in the grocery store. Sometimes we get so antsy that we look to see if some other line is shorter. All of us have to wait for the light to change at intersections. Again, we get antsy and start griping that the light takes too long. Heaven help us if we do not make it on the first light and have to wait again. But, what if we made use of that time to talk to God or to be still and see what God has to say to us?

A few of my friends and I are in an online meditation class. We agree to do the exercises on our own and then we share how we are doing. The focus for this week has been to develop the ability to wait patiently. The following quotes are from our instructions for this week. “The Exercise: Any time you find yourself waiting – when you’re in line at the store, waiting for someone who’s late, or waiting for the ‘please wait’ icon on your computer screen to go away – take this as an opportunity to practice mindfulness, mediation, or prayer. When you notice yourself becoming annoyed by having to ‘wait,’ remind yourself, ‘This is terrific! I have some unexpected time to practice mindfulness.’”

This exercise prompted me to use my waiting time to pray and to be still before God. I have begun to realize that it is often not that God is not listening to me as much as I am not quiet long enough to hear what God is saying. Since God’s timing is not the same as mine, I have likely missed a whole lot of conversation due to lack of paying attention.

There is a caveat to this business of waiting for God. Grocery lines and traffic lines do not offer all that much time to pray or listen. It is better use of the time than fuming. But I would contend that we need to schedule time into our day for prayer and meditation. Put it on your calendar like any other appointment.

The richness of the conversation is better than any other communication you will have in that day. In fact, it will enrich everything else you do.