Noisy Blenders

We always have something to do. There is always somewhere we have to be, something to cook, something to clean, something to prepare. Paperwork, bank stuff, the house, food, family, work...the activities that make up our everyday lives.

It seems like we never have time for us. But most importantly - we don't have time for God. Well, actually: we don't MAKE time for God.

Think of the Bible story of Mary and Martha (found in Luke 10.38-42).

I consider myself a Martha. I run everywhere going crazy and don't realize that what I need and what is going to make my life more enjoyable is to sit at Jesus' feet to listen.

God has not put us on this earth to be stressed and to suffer. When he created Adam and Eve, his purpose for them was that they enjoy Him and what He had created.

How then can we enjoy if we are always busy?

We know we need to work, take care of family, do the monotonous things of life, but we allow that to take up too much time in our lives. The stress we put on ourselves of "doing and doing" should not take away the time we have to stop and enjoy the life God has given to us.

Please don't misunderstand me.

I am not saying that we should not do anything. On the contrary. The Bible tells us that if "any would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thessalonians 3.10). When God created Adam, he told him to care for the garden and to eat and enjoy it: "And the LORD God took the man, and put him in the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." (Genesis 2.15-16).

Working is part of life, but once it takes God's place it turns into sin.

Psalm 46.10 Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

God tells us to have a quiet heart, in peace, trusting in Him. There is so much noise in our lives that we don't hear God. He is not going to yell at us until we listen. We ask Him to help us, to give us the strength and health to do what we need to get done, but we don't get to the point where we hear Him and learn from Him.

I am not just talking about spending time with God. I am taking about spending time with ONLY God. 

Talking to my husband from the kitchen while I am cooking is different than looking at him in the eye, talking and conversing. When I am in the kitchen, I am not giving him my full attention, but when we are on the couch concentrated the one on the other - it is completely different. 

The only way to be able to spend time ONLY with God is to have a quiet heart free from distractions. Only in complete peace are we able to hear God. Even when we are going through something difficult, we can point our hearts towards God.

My husband gave me this illustration a few days ago:

He works in a coffee shop where we sell coffee (obviously) and fruit smoothies. Right now we are having trouble with the blenders. One is broken and when the other one is used it sounds like a train coming through.

The phone rings often (too much). Now that we have nicer weather, we are busier and Gerson, who works alone, doesn't have time to make all the coffees and smoothies, and restock the fruits and ice creams. Attending to the phone during these busy times has been an almost impossible task.

When we have a lot of people and lots of calls, the easiest thing to do is to ignore the phone. The solution is simple: turn on the blender to drown out the phone calls!

Go ahead and laugh, or get mad...but think:

This is exactly what we do with God many times. We have so many things to do that they turn into "noisy blenders" and make it easy to ignore God's call. Many times, the things we busy ourselves with are good, but when they take priority over God, it is sin.

How do YOU talk to God? Do you yell at Him from the kitchen? Or simply turn on your blender of sin to ignore him?

What we should do is found in Isaiah 26.3-4: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in The Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength."

This passage is not directly written to Christians, but since the promises of God and His qualities do not change, I felt this an appropriate verse. Not much explanation is needed: God will keep us in perfect when our thoughts are on Him. When He is our priority, our hearts can be in peace and we can communicate with Him.