Let’s Commit to More Time with God, Without the Guilt

I was lucky enough to be introduced to faith as a young child, so it’s been quite a few years since the first bloom of excitement over reading my Bible or the thrill of early morning prayer with bed head and eyes full of sleep. I’m not saying it has disappeared, only that my relationship to spiritual disciplines have waxed and waned over time, similar to my relationship to exercise or lettuce or returning phone calls.

We have all taken a break from spending time with God a time or two. There are a myriad of reasons we do this - lack of motivation, disappointment in unanswered prayers, painful times when we don’t want to talk to anyone, and busyness that crowds out spiritual connection.

We step back from conversation with Him, from prayer, from Bible reading, or from church, and we despise that feeling of separation. But we don’t know how to get back. It feels like a yawning chasm has opened between us and Him and we don’t know how to bridge it. So we don’t.

Even if you’re new enough to faith that you have not experienced this phenomenon, you may have wondered, “What does it mean to spend time with God and what is the right amount?”

Here is the good news about time with God: there are no rules.

Here is the bad news about time with God: there are no rules.

We like rules. They tell us where to go and what to do and how much. But Jesus didn’t come to bring more rules for us to break. He came to restore our relationship to God. This relationship does require time, and we may need to create routine to make that happen regularly. But it isn’t the discipline or doing things right that makes us close to God; it’s the time we actually spend together.

Consistent time with God is how we center our lives around Him, get regular direction, and grow closer to Him relationally. In fact, I would argue that consistency is more important than length of time or what you do. These are a few ideas for doing it more often - with no shame added.

Spread it throughout the day

Many of us get stuck in our relationship with God when our schedule is packed or routines change. If we can’t dedicate a long stretch of time we end up doing nothing. Then the guilt comes. Here’s a word of encouragement - you may feel stuck but God’s not. He is not shaming you. To get moving again consider spreading your time with God out over the day. Pray in bed first thing. Listen to a devotional podcast in the car. Read your Bible over lunch. Or talk to Him throughout the day, about everything. This is a great way to integrate faith into everyday life.

Share it with friends

Some of our best insights come from talking about our faith. Have you ever felt fresh inspiration as you shared what you learned with a friend? We were not made to walk alone. Spend more time around fellow seekers and intentionally talk about where you are in your journey and what you’re learning. Ask questions. Ask a friend to go through a book of the Bible with you or pray. Make it communal and it will add a depth and richness you will love.

Go back to basics

Sometimes the ways we are spending time with God just feel stale. Maybe we are going through a checklist of activities from previous years but they are not serving us anymore. It’s time to shake things up. Buy a fresh journal, find a new sermon podcast, attend a Bible study, use the Dawn app in the mornings. Try something new and see how it invigorates you.

Ask God for renewed motivation

We put our time where our heart is. If you’re struggling to put God first, you can always push through that discomfort. But that doesn’t lend itself to having a fulfilling relationship with Him. Yes, make a decision to do it anyway, but also pray and ask God to give you more desire to put him first and see what happens.

Remember your why

When we start thinking that time with God determines our goodness or that it needs to look a certain way, we get stressed and lose the meaning behind it. Time with God is a gift to us, not a burden. It doesn’t increase our value in God’s eyes. When we remember that it’s more like drinking from a cold fountain on a hot summer’s day than a religious exercise, we can go back to it in the right spirit and find our joy there.