I love writing. Obviously. I started a blog. Before this one I had a cancer-related blog. Before that one I had yet another blog. I just love writing. Public speaking? Eh, I could do without it. I just have one of those minds that ponders a topic and automatically starts determining how to mold it into sentences, paragraphs, and ultimately into something that people want to read.
I'm telling you. I love numbers, but I should have been an English major.
Sometimes I have things on my heart that I want to share. They don't have a theme and don't have fun pictures. They're just words. But I want to write them. They're my Thoughts for Thursday.
All during January and February, the pastor at our church did a series on tithing. Do not be alarmed. This is not where I Bible thump you into tithing. The series really spoke to me and I started tithing and personally am overjoyed about it - but that's not what I'm writing about today. If you would like to hear the tithing series, click here. What I'm talking about is tithing your time.
For those of you that have been here a while, you know that one of my resolutions was to re-implement a quiet time. Well. I am here to tell you that we are at the end of March and I have yet to master this goal of mine. The intentions were there, but so was the busy. And the physical demands of the world somehow always was louder than the tug on my heart. It has been frustrating. I wake up with every intention of some quiet time with my Lord, and then bam. I'm in the car, halfway to work, and kicking myself. Figuratively. Kicking oneself whilst driving is not safe.
The day continues and I tell myself, okay okay, you'll just set aside some time tonight. Problem solved. Then there's horrible traffic on the ride home, you walk the dog, make some dinner, work out, prepare for the next day, crawl in bed, say "Dear God," and pass out. Every. Time.
Now don't get me wrong, the good Lord and I chat on a regular basis during the day. But I want to discipline myself to sit down with His word and a devotional and dig in. Make it about Him. Less about me.
You may be wondering how on earth this relates to tithing. Well, during the sermon series, the preacher kept emphasizing giving your "first-fruits," or the first 10% of your paycheck, and that the importance of it being the "first" really mattered. Giving the first slice of your paycheck back to God shows that you're trusting Him enough to make ends meet with the remaining 90%. Similarly, that money is God's money. Not yours. Don't be a thief. Don't steal God's money.
So throughout the month of March the theme of "first-fruits" kept ringing in my ear. Don't steal God's time, Katy. God is currently getting only the leftovers of my time. And more often than not, there aren't any leftovers. I firmly believe that God's "door" is open 24/7, but for me, I needed to give the first "10%" of my day in order to have that alone time with Him.
When I wake up, my eyes ferociously blink because they don't want to open, so I grab my phone and look at social media until I'm "awake." I am literally waking up with the world. Instead of grabbing my phone, I can grab my Bible and devotional and wake up with the Lord. God is greater than social media. God deserves more than my leftovers. I shouldn't have to "squeeze" Him in. He certainly doesn't just squeeze me in.
So that's what has been on my heart recently. Those are my Thoughts for Thursday.
Until next time,
Katy
Katy
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