Today’s world makes getting in touch with people and keeping in touch with people simple, easy.  No longer do we have to fight with siblings for the phone line – we have our own phones charged and at the ready.  We have apps for everything that keep us in touch with everyone all at once but at the same time, it can make us more isolated.  So, when I recently heard the voice of God reminding me to go to him first instead of friends in a time of trial, it was a wake-up call about my intentionality with God.  With God, there is no app but if keeping in touch with him is so simple and easy so why do we struggle with it sometimes?

When God’s voice reminded me to come to him first instead of my Godly friends, it truly was a reminder of my intentionality in my walk with God.  I realized that I was seeking something tangible to soothe me in my moment of crisis.  But God comforted me in a way that was so much deeper than any of my friends could.  You see, God already knew my heart and what I needed.  As soon as I said “Dear Heavenly Father” a calm washed over me, and the first words to him were actually “Thank you, Lord”.  I realized then that by going to God in prayer, he had all the answers my soul needed.  All I needed to do was praise him.  I didn’t need to tell him what was going on in my mind and heart because he knew that in that moment, I just needed to feel his love and compassion.

If I had gone to God first, instead of calling friends, I would have known his love and compassion sooner.  But God in his mercy, as my Heavenly Father, used that moment to teach me and remind me, in a strong voice, that he should always be my first choice to talk to.  

A little background…I have been sick with seizures for almost 3 years and I view myself as fortunate because of it.  Strange to hear, right?  But truly, it has forced me to pause and literally be still during a time in my life when I would be anything but.  Before my illness, I would have the usual 14 hour days between work, amusements, church life, and social life.  Although my faith was growing then, now my illness has been a catalyst for my love for God and understanding his love for me better.  I think it is because I have more time with him now than ever, and for that I feel blessed and thankful.  But I have asked myself, if I could go back now and talk to myself pre-epilepsy about God time, what would I say?  And here is what I realized…

Always keep your daily time with God, no matter what.  This is so important.  I remember people telling me that it always had to be first thing in the morning, and I was not a morning person, um, at all.  Instead, I did my devotionals at night because that was when I was giving God my best and when it was the most quiet, with no distractions.  Now; however, it is after I have slowly woken up.  The point is that your time with God should be in a place with no distractions, and at a time when you know that you are giving him your best.  Like always, we can look to Christ for our example, who went alone in a quiet place to talk to God (Matt 14:23, Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12).  Christ needed time alone with God to recharge and be in communication with his Father, just like we do.

Start sacrificing some of the social time and amusements for just you and God time.  This is the one thing that I wish someone had told me.  I spent so much time with friends and watching TV shows or reading books and looking back, I did those things to please myself or others.  While there is nothing wrong with doing any of those things, I can assure anyone that sacrificing any amount of time with others or yourself to spend time with God is always worth it.  It is hard to put into words how much he has done for me over the past 3 years, how much I have grown spiritually, or how much he means to me but it has been amazing journey, in spite of the difficulty of suffering.

Always keep your heart open to God and his leading.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to “Pray without ceasing”.  In today’s world, it is the same as always keeping your phone on you at all times except with this phone, it is connected only to God – he has his own ringtone, and all the apps are connected to him alone.  He can see what you need and want and post – everything.  You can call him anytime and he can reach you anytime, no one else on the line.  It is a special connection, open 24/7.  I had to be reminded of that special connection and praised God for it.  The question is, do you have a heart that is always open to God or do you sometimes leave your God phone at home, is it just a church accessory, or one you pull out only around your church friends?  Or do you use the option of calling God often and ignore his calls?  Or could it be that God is truly outside and is an app only kind of friend – one who can see your life from the outside but has no access inside?  If you are at any of these stages where your talks with God are out of sync in your Christian walk, don’t worry, we have all been there, kept God out because we are too busy or distracted or in a dry season spiritually.  It’s so easy to fix.  Start praying for one and then start praying that you and God would be more connected so that you can be the kind of person who prays without ceasing because of your heart’s openness to the Lord.

Have a heart of rejoicing.  1 Thessalonians 5:16 says to “Rejoice Always”.  I am understanding more and more that in everything, we have a reason to rejoice.  When I am able to work out, I rejoice and praise God for the time and the ability to move my body and make it stronger.  When I am laid up in bed all day with non-stop seizures, I rejoice and praise God that I have more time with him.  I rejoice always because I know that God is faithful. Period. Everything over the past nearly 3 years, and before then has shown me that.  Rejoicing, by the way, is “to show or feel great joy or delight”.  And why shouldn’t we feel delight when we always have something to feel joyful about – our salvation?  If God gave us nothing but that, we should always rejoice but he still continues to show us favor and to mold us to be more Christ-like.  What a glorious reason to rejoice!

Remember the cross and take up yours.  It really wasn’t until I got sick that I understood how great and wonderful the presence of Christ in my life truly is.  The fact that God sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in me and grant me power and his wisdom became a mind-blowing fact.  The fact that Christ suffered and through my suffering, we were connected assuages my fears and doubts.  When I pray to Christ, I know that he knows what I am going through.  The cross isn’t just suffering though, it is power.  It took power for Christ to carry the sins of everyone.  So, when we take up our crosses daily, we are carrying with us Christ’s suffering and power daily.  We need to stop daily to remember that so we can be both humble and powerful through Christ in us!

Maybe now you understand why I view my chronic illness as a blessing.  I have the rare opportunity that few my age are granted – the opportunity to be weak physically and have to stop for a while.  During this time, I have learned to lean on my Savior and Friend more than ever before.  During this time, I have seen God bestow his favor on me more than ever before.  During this time, my heart has been transformed to be more Christ-like more than ever before.

I would never wish what I am going through on anyone but I am saying that I wish you more time with God.  The dishes will still be there, TV shows will still in your Netflix, and there will always be other times to hang out with friends or family.  However, pure set-aside, seconds turn to minutes and minutes to hours and your heart wonders how you can ever leave the warm embrace of your Savior and Friend time; those are the moments that link us to eternity and are both beautiful and transformative.  These are the moments that should be sought after with a passionate and devoted heart.  This is what happens when we set aside and have time for God.