I almost skipped my quiet time again this morning.
The laundry was piling up. My phone was already buzzing. I had three things due before noon and a to-do list that laughed at me every time I looked at it.
So I did what I’ve done more times than I want to admit.
I told God I’d catch up with Him later.
Maybe after the kids were at school. Maybe after that meeting. Maybe tonight before bed — except by tonight I’d be so exhausted I’d fall asleep mid-sentence and call that prayer.
Sound familiar?
Here’s the thing nobody wants to say out loud in church:
Most of us aren’t walking away from God dramatically. We’re not having a crisis of faith. We’re not angry at Him or questioning everything we believe.
And the busyness is winning.
It creeps in so quietly you don’t even notice it happening. One skipped morning turns into three. Three turns into a week. A week turns into a month. And suddenly you realize you’ve been running on spiritual empty for so long you’ve forgotten what it felt like to be full.
You’re not backsliding. You’re not a bad Christian.
You’re just overwhelmed. And the one thing that could actually help — time with God — keeps getting pushed to the bottom of a list that never gets shorter.
I think about Martha a lot.
You know the story. Jesus comes to visit and Mary sits at His feet while Martha runs around doing all the things. And Martha — bless her heart — finally loses it. She marches up to Jesus and basically says: Do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work? Tell her to help me.
And Jesus says something that stops me every time.
Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. But few things are needed — or indeed only one.
Only one.
Not a longer to-do list. Not better time management. Not a more efficient morning routine.
One thing.
Sitting with Him.
Now before you close this tab because you’ve heard this a thousand times — I want to say something that might surprise you.
Jesus didn’t rebuke Martha for being busy.
He rebuked her for being worried and upset. For letting the busyness steal her peace. For resenting her sister instead of recognizing what her sister had chosen.
Because here’s what I’ve learned: the problem isn’t that we have full lives. Full lives are a gift. The problem is that we’ve let our full lives crowd out the one thing that gives us the capacity to actually live them well.
We’re trying to pour from a cup that never gets refilled.
And we wonder why we’re exhausted.
Can I tell you what happens when I actually sit with God before the day starts?
Not when I squeeze Him in. Not when I give Him the leftover minutes at the end of a long day. But when I actually, intentionally, put Him first before the list gets its hands on me?
I’m different.
Not perfect. Not superhuman. Not magically calm in traffic or infinitely patient with my family.
But different. Anchored. Like there’s something solid underneath the chaos instead of just more chaos.
Psalm 46:10 says Be still and know that I am God.
Not be still and know that your list is handled. Not be still and know that everything is figured out. Be still and know that He is God. Which means you don’t have to be.
That stillness isn’t wasted time. That’s where you remember who’s actually in charge — and it’s not you.
So here’s what I want to ask you today.
Not as a challenge. Not as a guilt trip. Just as one tired woman to another:
What would it look like to give God the first ten minutes of your day before the phone, before the list, before the noise gets in?
Not an hour. Not a perfectly structured quiet time with a journal and a highlighter and color-coded tabs in your Bible.
Just ten minutes. You and Him. Before everything else gets a vote on your day.
Because here’s what I know after 20+ years of walking with Jesus:
The days I give Him first are always better than the days I don’t.
Not easier. Not problem-free.
Better.
And you deserve better, friend. Not someday when life slows down.
Today.
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