"Celerity is never more admired than by the negligent." -Cleopatra

I must admit the very title of this blog is appropriate for my absence. Over the past few weeks a lot has been happening, not only for me, but for those around me. And there are a lot of 'those' around me. I, as I am sure a lot of people do, wear many hats. What do I mean by this? I have to connect differently to different people in different ways. In doing so negligence can come in like a tornado for the soul!

One way I must connect is as a fiancee. The wedding day is lurking around the corner and there is still a lot to be done. What needs to be done you ask? Your guess is as good as mine. But I know one way I can help and that is to give my fiancee and her family my support and time as we drawl closer to the sound of the wedding bells. Another way I must connect is to be a good son and a better big brother to a mother and sister who live a thousand miles away. This might be one of the toughest ways to connect. Because I can't see them daily it is easy for me to get caught up in the web of life, but they are some of the most important people in my life. And so neglecting opportunities to call them can easily be consumed by other priorities of lesser importance. And as a student pastor I must connect with my students and leaders. This connection is one that demands great balance! One fine lesson I am learning very quickly as a new student pastor is your time is not necessarily your own.

I have found (especially in the past few weeks) that ministry can and will consume all of my time if I let it. Even though I am committing my time to people and their needs I am neglecting time with God and my needs. This is where I am finding myself searching for balance. I am not complaining. I love what I do. I love connecting with as many people as possible. But what I am noticing is that in doing so there are areas of my life that are being neglected.

And so you might be like me. You might have school, work, meetings, people, family, friends, appointments, plans, and games pulling you in every direction and leading you straight to the next one. Take time to stop. Take time to evaluate your time. Take time to prioritize your time. God is the first one we run to in the time of need, but then God is also the first one we neglect when we run out of the time we need. Don't let the busyness of life deteriorate your time with God. Let God deteriorate the busyness of life by giving him your time first and let him empower you to emerge from...negligence.