Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. (Romans 13:14 NLT)

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And here was my hectic mid-week day…

6:00 AM Quiet time and throw load of laundry in washer

7:30 AM Get dressed

8:00 AM Get kids dressed and ready for their day, feed them light cereal to go

9:00 AM Weigh-in at Weight Watchers

9:30 AM Mtg with Andy Rainey and Jennifer at Coffee, Beans, and Brew

11:10 AM Drop kids off at Kidz Zone at YMCA (but first change Ryan’s poopy diaper)

11:20 AM Swim for 20 min.

11:40 AM Get dressed, pick up kids

12:00 PM Get home, feed kids, attempt Beth Moore’s video

12:30 PM Neighbor kid arrives for carpool to school

12:35 PM Drive kids to Preschool

1:00 PM Arrive home, put babies down, throw clothes in dryer, start another load of laundry, find new hiding spot for Clyde the Elf, make self lunch

1:15 PM Start Recruiting work for the Garrow Company, Time Warner guy comes to fix our DVR

3:15 PM Naps End, Work ends, switch out laundry, Workout on Elliptical for 20 mins (watching Steven Furtick)

3:40 PM Emma gets home from school, shower, feed everyone snack, attempt Beth Moore’s video

4:00 PM Prepare dinner (listening to Matt Chandler)

5:00 PM Serve dinner and clean up dishes

6:00 PM Move Clyde the Elf, dry hair, and put on makeup

6:15 PM Head to LifeGroup

9:00 PM Put kids to bed, attempt Beth Moore’s video but cannot keep my eyes open

10:00 PM CRASH

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This was my day last Wednesday. And what a day it was! When I compare my days from my life pre-LPV, I cringe at all the free time I spent in front of the television! If I had to plan a defense, I could find a way to support that much of my day was spent serving: serving my family, my church, my community… but not much was spent serving God. What I realized today was how little of my time was spent WITH God. Yes, I can listen to podcasts and watch missed LPV messages, but very little of my day was spent in quiet with God. In fact, maybe God got a half hour of my hour and a half allotment in the morning.

A few weeks back, Andy Ransdell suggested that in all we do, God should be the focus. I find this a helpful reminder when I have to give myself a lecture before sitting behind the desk and recruiting/working when the rest of the house is quiet. I have realized when God is the focus, I am more efficient and productive in recruiting… and now I need to learn to apply that same standard to the remaining pieces of my day. I want to “clothe myself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ” in all I do. This day was more chaotic and stressful than it needed to be. If anything, the chaos I added just took away from the peace I could have had if I had settled in some time with God.

What does that look like for you? Do you create more chaos in your life than necessary? What do you think God would advise if he looked at your calendar?