Day 2864 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Luke 5:16 NIV

It's something that all of us take for granted, tend to ignore, and largely undervalue. It's an opportunity that few of us, if any, actually take advantage of or make a priority in our lives. Instead, we usually get busy staying busy. We get caught up in thinking we have to stay caught up in all that's going on around us. And this truth is typically more clearly evident in the holiday season that has, as of now, begun fading into the past.

But one of the biggest things that tends to be overlooked is the vast importance of quiet time. Calmness. Tranquility. Even loneliness. Yes, you read that right, being lonely isn’t a bad thing, definitely not the horror to which modern society has equated it. We need to be able to be alone to finally realize that we are never alone! We need a priority placed upon finding time and space away from distraction where we can completely focus in on what really matters.

In this fast-paced, hustle and bustle, keep up or get left behind kind of world, slowing down and taking time to prioritize the things which make us better and make our faith stronger can quickly become lost in the flood. But considering the peace and joy and hope that our faith offers us every moment of every day, I think we should offer our faith more moments of our day.

Reading through a few more chapters of Luke last night to close out Christmas day, and this verse just stopped me for some reason. Even as I lay in bed, I found myself thinking about why such a seemingly random message seemed to speak so loudly. But then something hit me, and even as I sit here now typing this post, I find myself amazed at how much this verse was needed by not only myself, but I venture to guess many others as well.

The final stretch of each year is spent frantically frenzied as we set out to find last minute gifts and polish the plans for the people planning on coming to our table. Many find themselves completely caught up in this Christmas rush trying to make sure everything is just right and planned ahead and ironed out and sure to go perfectly smooth. Christmas, not the true meaning but the modern insanity version, has become something of a mad dash to the finish line that's largely nothing but dirty dishes, torn up wrapping paper, and a repeat of the hours spent putting up all the festive decorations, only this time taking them down.

Most years I do my very best to keep myself focused on what truly matters. But, and I say this in utmost shame and personal disappointment, I found myself being dragged into the chaos of the "celebration". This year just got away from me. It found me wracking my brain for last minute make-up gifts after plans were changed. I become wildly distracted by selfish wants and ideas. I even found myself angry at times because it was all just this nightmare that I kept trying to wrap up in shiny paper.

And I think that's why this verse hit me so strangely last night. Here it was, the final hours of a Christmas day that all but caught me by surprise. And in the midst of feelings of sadness and regret for having let such a special day become so unremarkable, I realized that the reason for my missteps was perfectly clear: I didn't make time to break away from the hustle and bustle.

I didn't set aside the time to stay focused on what matters most. I didn't keep my eyes fixed on the faith that is only possibly because of a God who humbled Himself to entering the world as a baby who would grow and save His people from themselves. I didn’t make time to silence the noise with His voice and recount why all this festive stuff even matters to begin with. Not that I didn’t remember the meaning of the season, I just allowed too many other things to take on too much meaning.

So many times in life we get completely engrossed in life as we know it. We get used to these little routines that we create that offer us a semblance of success and plenty of comfort. We find ourselves frantically rushing through life out of this innate fear of failing or disappointing or missing out. We allow so many things to become so important that what's truly important is at best forced to share room with all these other hollow priorities, and at worst completely ignored altogether.

Here we find even the Son of God that we celebrate at Christmas breaking away from everything and spending time in prayer. Even Jesus would slow down, take time by Himself, and ensure that He was zeroed in on the Father above and the faith within. If even the Son of God, who is God in flesh, would take time to break away from the normality of life and slow down to pray, then how much more should that be of importance to us?

You see, we're not Jesus. Unlike Him, we don't know what's coming. We don't know what to plan for. If we're completely honest, most of the time we don't have the foggiest idea as to what's going on or what we're doing. We're all kind of just making this up as we go along and trying our best to do our best to be our best along the way. Sure, we paint it up nice and try to give off this image of confidence and strength, but beneath that facade, the truth remains that we have no idea what we're doing.

And considering how we're learning so much as we go along this path of faith into the unknown filled with things of which we simply cannot be certain, shouldn't we too slow down and ensure that we remain entirely focused on the One who's leading the way? Shouldn't we too break away from the rat race and take time to build our faith in every way possible? Shouldn't we make sure that we're in the Word, in prayer, in the Spirit, in line with what Christ is doing in us?

But so often that necessity is overlooked or tossed aside as we fail to escape from this idea telling us that we have to keep up with the world around us. We live in this foolish fear of falling behind in a frantic flow toward frivolity created by the fallen society in which we're currently living. It's this ongoing rush of madness that leads to nothing but worldly promises which are unable to carry any eternal weight.

What I think we need to understand is that the world will stay busy. Many within it, many around us will stay busy. Life will stay busy. We are simply surrounded by a chaotic chorus of voices and messages and alluring idols that are all vying for our attention. Make no mistake, the devil is working overtime trying to get us as distracted as possible knowing that the only way he can keep us tricked is by keeping our eyes looking upon that which is empty and our hearts chasing those lies that claim to be important.

We have to slow down. Yes, even during the holiday rush. Even during the weeks where you have more to do than hours to get it done. Even when deadlines are approaching and people are waiting and things are begging for our undivided attention. In truth, the only thing that truly deserves our undivided attention is our faith and the Father in whom that faith must be centered. All this other stuff is just stuff. And sadly, stuff can quickly become idols that begin robbing God of the time and focus and dedication that only He deserves.

You know, we don't think of being busy as an idol, but if it takes our attention away from God, you can bet it's an idol. And no matter what it is, it's just not worth letting anything, even our strange need to stay caught up and prepared, become a false god in our lives.

We serve God and God alone because He alone holds the keys to Heaven's gates, and He alone sent the Son we celebrate this time of the year. Truth be told, Christmas should be every day. It should be forefront in our minds from the moment our eyes open until they once again close to close out the day. It should be something that is an unquestioned priority every moment of every day of every week of every month of every year we have here.

That's how important our faith is. It's bigger than gifts. It's more special than the perfect wrapping job. It's more meaningful than a bunch of twinkling lights set in time with a catchy classic Christmas carol. It's impossibly massive, and as such, our faith should be forefront in our minds all the time. And considering how many distractions are always swirling around us, it just goes to show why we need the quiet time, the loneliness, the calm.

Because we just can't hear what He is trying to say if we're listening to all this other noise, including our own minds telling us to not fall behind.

Friends, no holiday, no special occasion, no obligation is anywhere near as important as the faith that bridges the gap between earth and Heaven. Nothing is more important than fostering a flourishing relationship with our Father. Nothing is more important than focusing in on listening to the only source of pure truth we have to lean on. We have to make the time. We have to break away. We have to let go of this fear of falling behind and this adamancy to stay ahead.

In the end, it won't matter how many gifts we gave or got. It won't matter how many lights were clipped on our rooftops. It won't matter how great our plans were and how well our best efforts were received by those we aimed to please. All that will matter is whether or not we knew Christ. He is the foundation of Christmas. He is the foundation of faith. He is the foundation of our freedom gained through His forgiveness. Our time in prayer, our time spent studying His Word, our time spent focused solely on Him is more valuable than anything this world can possibly offer.

Make the time. Break away. Let the world run wild, we don't have to run with it. Again, we're all children learning how to do this whole faith thing. Rushing only opens us up to making mistakes, many of which could prove quite costly. Slow down. We have to give ourselves a chance to focus, and no matter how great we think we are; nobody can focus on anything when they're blazing through life a hundred miles an hour.

If even Jesus could make time to get away from everything to make time to stay focused on the mission at hand, we can too. And if even He knew the importance of prayer and spending time alone with God, we should too. After all, He knew what was going on, we don't. So, I think it's safe to say that we should focus as much as possible as often as possible. Because this world and its rush will one day come to a crashing end. We don't want to suddenly crash along with it without ever giving any thought to what awaits at the end of all this rushing through life.

I think that’s the takeaway that’s always there. This will end. Be it a holiday, a party, a hunt for a perfect prize with which to surprise someone, it will all end. We can’t keep putting our faith on the back-burner because we don’t know how much time we’ve got. And realizing we don’t have forever ought to speak to the dire need to grow our faith as much as we can every day we have left. Nothing else will help us when this life is over. Maybe focusing on those eternal roots is truly more important than any of us could have imagined.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold