Look Alive, Christina!

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Over the past eight years, I found that I developed little catch phrases in the classroom.  I would say these things so often that by the end of the year, it would inevitably become somewhat of a joke with the students.  For example, whenever I would have a student complaining about some concept or another being too difficult I would quip back, “You can do it, so-and-so.  I have faith in you!” in my wry, sarcastic tone.  The students would often think it was funny, but to be fair, I did genuinely believe they were capable of doing well…you know, once they put their phones down!

Another such catch phrase I often used when a student was sleeping or looking particularly zoned out was, “Look alive there, so-and-so, look alive!”.  Recently, I’ve come to wonder how often the Lord was saying this to me the past few years.  I get so distracted by my daily to-do list sometimes.  When I was still teaching, I always tried to make sure to spend time with the Lord before leaving for work.  However, there were many mornings when it was all I could do to read my sixty second devotional while scarfing down breakfast, barely making time to really sit and be still before the Lord.  Weekends and summer would allow for some extended quiet time with God during certain weeks, but it’s always a bit trickier to find that time and space alone when traveling. 

Now that I am in this transition period as a prospective staff member with FCA, I’ve been able to sustain having more quality time before the Lord for a while now and I can’t help but wonder what the past few years would have been like if I’d made time with God more of a priority.  Please be clear, I’m not trying to make anyone feel guilty and I’m by no means perfect at keeping my focus 100% on the Lord while I’m spending time in His Word or in prayer.  However, there is a certain peace that precedes me into the day when I’m intentionally giving Him my waking thoughts.  I remember reading once that God is not disappointed IN us when we neglect to spend time with Him.  He’s disappointed FOR us.  What might have changed in our day if we’d sat down with Him first?  Maybe we would have had a little more grace and compassion for someone?  Maybe something at work that caused a lot of anxiety wouldn’t have seemed that stressful?  I’m not really sure, but I can say without a doubt that I have seen the benefits in my own life of making time with the Lord more of a priority in this season.  

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