"Time"

Today on the radio a station was discussing the quote "you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." This is the first I had heard this statement, but it did really start to get me to think about who I spend my time with. What things do those people like/dislike? What are their hobbies? Dreams? Mannerisms? Are they positive/negative? Successful or just making it? 

The station went on to pose the question: "do your media interactions count?" how much time do you spend on facebook? What source do you get your news from? What music are you listening to etc... It boils down to: what you see is what you get; who/what you spend your time with influences the person you eventually become. I started thinking about my goal of reading through the Bible in a year. It has already become a challenge and I am already behind, ok, way behind, even crossed my mind to forget it. 

And then I started thinking... how much time do I spend with God? Is He one of the five people I spend the most time with? How can I be influenced by Him if I am not spending the time with him? I have enough discipline to get up at the crack of dawn to train and work out, but can't find time in my day to spend with the reason I am alive, breathing, and have the capabilities to train in the first place? Time to start training my mind and heart to get to know God. 

In a world of "fast" part of the goal behind taking the time to read through the entire Bible, for me, was to    

s  l  o  w   down my life a little bit. The issue with "fast" and my 110 mph, 110% effort, 110% of the time is results, checking things off a list, instant gratification, exhaustion, (often my excuse for not setting aside the time). Relationships don't have a drive-through, but they do have a value meal. To really get to know someone, reap the full benefits of a relationship, it takes time. To truly get to know God I need to spend time with him so that I can and want to inquire about his nature and will for my life. 

In the reading I have done...Abraham, Joshua, David, Job... no matter how many mistakes the leaders of Israel made, or how many situations they faced, despair they felt, they knew God. I have a lot of catching up to do, opportunities to spend a lot of time with God. 

Back to the book...