If you have time to drink, you have time to get sober.
I used to hear things like that in AA. They would say, "If you have time to drink, you have time to go to a meeting."
It’s true. Drinking takes up a lot of time. Any bad habit does if you think about it. Even if it doesn’t seem like it in the moment.
When I was drinking, I could start a day with the best of intentions. With a to-do list a mile long. Maybe that was my first mistake. I think it was - because the overwhelmingness of that list made me want to drink.
I could be cleaning house and think to myself, "This would be so much more fun with vodka." Really? Where did I get the idea that cleaning should be fun? I would drink and for awhile cleaning would be fun. Music blasting, dancing while dusting - all good until I drank too much.
That always happened.
Then, I would find myself in desperate need of a nap. Collapse on the stripped-down-to-the-mattress bed because washing all the bedding seemed like a great idea an hour earlier. Now, I'm on a bare mattress with an afghan, while the washer is paused on an unbalanced load because what the heck, the machine says heavy duty. I snooze the day away until about 4:00 pm. Now I am hungry, hungover, and the house is as mess. No sign of dinner, plus I have to get my act together before anyone comes home from school or work.
A whole day wasted.
If I would have stayed sober, and did nothing but read a book, my day still would have been more productive.
We all have a lot of excuses when it comes to doing things that are good for us:
I don’t have time to prep cook to stay on a healthy diet.
I don’t have time to sit and meditate or do devotions.
I don’t have time to read.
I don’t have time to volunteer.
I don’t have time to pray for more than a minute in the morning.
I don’t have time to exercise.
Last night, I was feeling a little guilty. Craig and I both had meetings from mid afternoon to early evening. Energy to listen to everyone else, but each other. We were more than happy to exchange a few details about our days (taking a total of 3 minutes) and call it good. We sat back in the lazy boys with iPads in hand and watched a few episodes on Netflix.
Quality time? Not really.
I feel guilty on these mornings. We wasted time. We have no idea how precious this time is.
I am reading the Bible in one year, so each morning I read assigned passages from the Old and New Testament and a Psalm or Proverb. I approach this as a task that I don’t expect to get anything out of. I just want to check it off my list. God meant for his word to mean more than that, as I am constantly finding out.
From Deuteronomy 8, I wrote down this tidbit in my journal, “Make sure you don’t become so full of yourself with your things that you forget God-your God.”
In Psalm 31 I read, “What a stack of blessings you have stacked up for those who worship you.”
The Bible is not meant to make us feel guilty. That was never God’s intention. I know this because he is a God of Love and that's not how Love works. No - it is a handbook for living life in God's image.
It is telling me constantly that we were made for more. The more that requires some effort on my part. Not to become obsessive with my selfish wants - like wanting to pay more attention to the things of this world than the people I love. (Things like iPads and Netflix.)
We are a new generation of multi-taskers. Our minds are never on one thing alone. I challenge you this weekend to take time to totally engage in conversations, tasks, DRIVING! You know what I’m talking about… Take time to be intentional about doing something that is pleasing to God, to the ones you love, and brings you peace.
Don’t make time for more. Just make your time count.
Peace on your weekend,
Sherry