We were just settling down after the chaotic mess that the past few weeks had been, with finalising wedding details and packing for our honeymoon.
At long last we were finally home, married, able to go about life again without all of these details swimming around our heads. In all the hectic-ness around us, I definitely forsake my usual routine cleaning up clutter, doing the laundry, and other basic tidying tasks.
So, as you would imagine, I was cleaning like a mad woman, emptying and organising ‘junk’ drawers, fluffing and re-folding clothes, trying to make everything spotless, organised, and pleasing to the eye.
Although I wouldn’t label myself a, “clean freak” there’s definitely something therapeutic about deep cleaning a space. I find the messier my room and workspace is, the more cluttered my thoughts are as well.
At least that’s what I was thinking as I dusted trinkets on my night-stand. I hoped that all of the stress of the past month would flush out of me as soon as our bedroom was done being scrubbed. Until I picked up my Bible and gave it a good dusting.
Around that moment I finally made a connection.
Pointing fingers
Could I really have blamed my stressed, snippy attitude on the pressure of the upcoming wedding, or should it have been directed at the fact that in my busyness I neglected my most important relationship - between myself and the Lord?
The truth is, the days and weeks leading up to the wedding, I was a pretty tough pill to swallow. I was irritable, snappy, and just overall not myself. I found myself picking fights with my fiance over the silliest, most trivial things. My usually under control anxiety was playing up, keeping me from sleeping at night, and disconnected during the day.
All in all, I was not myself, and the people around me were suffering for it. And I had the audacity to pin-point it all on the stress that comes before you get married, when in truth, our wedding was extremely laid-back, inexpensive, and all orchestrated by our amazing church family.
Too busy for Him?
I’ve had other seasons in my life where I’ve been extremely busy, especially when I was in film school shooting shorts.
We would be awake at 4:00am, out on our feet shooting a short film all day, with a 30 minute lunch break at most, just to return home at night to prepare for the next day of shooting, and then try to get as many hours of sleep in as possible before doing it all over again in the morning. Yikes.
It may sound bad - but I literally did not have time to read my Bible.
Yet, my relationship with God during this short, but intense season didn’t suffer as I had imagined, but instead I got to know Him in a whole new way. I truly relied on Him for strength and energy, I chatted with Him as I worked, and at night I would fall into a deep restful sleep.
The air we breathe
So, you can see why I feel so silly now, looking back on those weeks of angst I had before our special day. No matter what is happening in life, no matter how busy, or stressful, there is always a way to spend quality time with the Lord, if even for a few minutes. There is really no excuse.
Although I used the example of my dusty Bible reflecting my neglectful spirit, even just talking with Him throughout the day would’ve been enough.
Prioritising spending time with the Lord daily should be a necessity to us - it should be as the oxygen we breathe. Although this may look different at times, depending on the day and the circumstances, the King of Kings inclines His ear to listen and speak us, no matter what. And that is something worth prioritising.
Miranda Menelaws is a Canadian freelance writer. During her spare time, she can be found travelling the globe in search of a new story to tell.
Miranda’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/miranda-bersaglio.html
Miranda Menelaws is a Canadian freelance writer. During her spare time, she can be found travelling the globe in search of a new story to tell, or writing about her adventures on her blog.
Miranda Menelaws’s previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/miranda-menelaws.html