My morning routine goes as follows:
After spending time with Jesus in the mornings, I always take time to shower - a glorious, steaming hot shower void of all interruptions. I learned years ago that this precious gift of unhurried time to get ready was worth waking before the children to ensure. Once I use up all the hot water (proving there are still remnants of the cantankerous little sister inside me from my childhood), I don my “mom-uniform.” This is a rotation of three hoodies and three pairs of jeans that are so worn in they feel like sweats. When I am finished, I follow the delicious smell of freshly brewed coffee down the hall and into the kitchen. There my husband waits for me – with two cups in hand, ready for our morning coffee date.
Could I be using this time to get a jump start on breakfast? Yes. I am sure there are a million things that I could use it for, but looking at my husband standing in the kitchen extending a warm cup of “wake-up juice” in my direction, always serves as a reminder that nothing I could use it for would be as important as this. My husband deserves my attention.
Whether we are chasing runaway goats down our driveway or lecturing young boys on the importance of a shower – in the midst of our “never-dull, always-busy” life, this man lives and breathes intentionality. He seeks out time with me. He prioritizes marriage. To Matt, fourteen children aren’t an excuse for neglecting our relationship. They are a reason why we should invest more into it.
Morning coffee dates remind me that he is right.
Relationship matters.
It's amazing how easy it can be to place "productivity" over "relationship." How quickly a to-do list can be come the priority of our day. We live in a culture that applauds accomplishment and praises performance. It can be easy to base our definition of "Success" on how much was done in a day and, wrapped up in our "doing", we can forget the importance of just "being." Rushed and hurried, we can lose sight of the importance of a:
A game of checkers.
A date night with our spouse.
Coffee with a friend.
Playing catch with our son.
Taking a walk with our teenage daughter.
When Jesus was on the earth, he only had thirty-three years to preach the Kingdom and point the hearts of mankind toward the Father again. Most of those thirty-three years were spent in the business of growing up. Only three were accounted for as being used for actual ministry and yet even with such important work upon His shoulders, the Bible tells us He took time to separate Himself from the crowd and spend time with His Father. He sat around bon fires with friends roasting fish and talking of the days to come. He slowed to see Zacchaeus and have a meal with him. He stopped preaching to bring children into His lap and bless them.
All through the Gospels we see that Jesus made time for people. He didn’t rush. He chose people over hurry – again and again and again. When the woman with the issue of blood touched His robe in the street, He didn’t remove her hand and continue on His way. He stopped. He embraced the interruption. I wonder – would I have done the same? Would you?
God, help us to slow down. Help us to see the people around us, to invest in relationship, and to value what you value. Time goes by so quickly. Help us not to miss the very things that matter most.