This past week (March 7-14), I had a completely overwhelming schedule. I watched as the dishes piled up on the sink, the laundry overflowed from the hamper, the to-do list grew, and the pile of homework increased in height. And there is no way to measure the obligations I have as a friend, daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, youth sponsor, english tutor, employee, and acquaintance!
Through all of this I have learned one thing: being His Daughter needs to be my first priority. Sometimes I get so busy trying to minister to the needs of others and to pursue my dreams of ministering to many, that I forget to go back to the well and take a sip of Jesus' living water. I was watching a Beth Moore podcast earlier today, and she was talking about our need for a "hiding place". In our American culture today, we rarely take time to get away and hide with God. No, I don't mean open our Bibles for 5 minutes until we get the next text or phone call or facebook alert. I mean really hide with God. Really let Jesus minister to us. In order to become like Christ, we need to take the time to know Christ.
Before I moved to Tennessee for college, I had a very northern, nasally accent. I didn't know I had an accent. At home everyone else talked just like I did. However, as I began to talk to students who were from the states of Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Kentucky, Alabama and, of course, Tennessee, my accent became quite noticeable. As the weeks turned into months, my accent began to soften. Suddenly, my "a's" weren't as sharp as they once had been, and people rarely commented on it anymore. I was with them so much that I had begun to talk and sound like them! It is the same way with God. The more time we spend with Him, the softer our worldly accent will become and the more we will take on a Godly accent. If we continually minister to others without allowing Christ to minister to us, our worldly accent begins to creep back in and we get hoarse. By hiding away with Jesus, we allow him to refresh and reenergize us to minister to others.
My challenge to you is to take a little time each day this week to turn off your cell phone, computer, ipod, blackberry, television, or whatever it is that is keeping you from your hiding place (yes, sometimes this is people too! Even our friends, family, and significant others can hinder us from finding our refuge with God). Find a quiet place where you can be alone and just spend time with Him. Drink the living water He offers and be refreshed. Allow Jesus to minister to you and bring you into His oasis.
