Too Busy Not to Pray

I recently had a tough weekend, in which—among other things—my oldest daughter broke her ankle. My husband was out of town, and caring for someone with constant needs left me feeling like I didn't have much time for prayer.

However, I did find myself swiping through my Facebook feeds for some mind-numbing distraction from my daughter's pain and my own feelings of being overwhelmed.

I was definitely crying out to God throughout the weekend, but I did not just stop and prioritize my prayer time. And honestly, the deep well of patience I needed to draw from in order to help my daughter just wasn't there in the way I believe it could have been, if I had just withdrawn for even a few minutes to truly pray.

A coworker stopped me in my tracks Tuesday morning with a comment that summed up what I think I should have been doing. I have heard what she said before, but hearing it from a college freshman—versus reading it as a quote from a saint or pope—just brought the words so much to life for me. Like a neon sign on which God wrote, "Duh, Heather! Yes, it really is this simple."

What wisdom did she share?

This college freshman, heading into her finals, said about her weekend, "I knew I was too busy NOT to pray."

It's when we are so busy that we need to carve out time for God more than ever. How else will we hear Him? How else will His wisdom guide our moments and our days, rather than the swirl of chaos and the stress of the moment?

One other very powerful image of this is the story of the mother of John and Charles Wesley. Her workload was immense, and she had very little support. But she knew the importance of prayer time—she knew her responsibilities meant she NEEDED God so very much. So she taught her children to recognize that when she was sitting with her apron over her head, it was because she was praying.

Catch that? She put her apron over her head so that she could pray. Surely I could muster that for five minutes. Maybe I wouldn't use an apron, but we have a living room full of throw blankets that would be perfect for the job. Truly, I hope I can learn from her example and that of my wise-though-young coworker, and not let anything come between me and my time with God.

It's not about more requirements on a check-list, it's about building a relationship. It's about the fact that I need to make time to receive the Lord's love, so that I can share it with those around me. It's about the fact that I just need time to Just Be Held, as is so beautifully put on this song a dear friend recently recommended.