No Time
By Lisa Bell
Buzzzzzzz. Oh no! Not again. How could she sleep through thirty minutes of such annoyance? Her eyes focused and she noticed him in silence.
“Sorry. I overslept again. Why didn’t you wake me? I don’t have time this morning, but I really do want to sit and talk for awhile. Tonight…I have such a busy day you know.”
She rushed through the house yelling at the kids. “Get up. You don’t want to be late.” She retreated to the bathroom and rushed through a shower. Breakfast bars on the run again. Not the day she planned. As she dressed he still sat in the same place. Her irritation level matched her guilt. So she shunned him yet again. She needed that special time but life just kept running full force ahead. She even asked the Lord to wake her up early. But He never did. The alarm didn’t help much.
That night she tumbled through the door. A late meeting, and now she faced a full day of work at home. A quiet voice called her name. She looked longingly toward her room where she knew he waited. Forget about dinner for now. Just go.
Her daughter entered the kitchen. “Mom. My gym shorts have a huge hole in them. I was so embarrassed. We HAVE to get new ones…right now.”
The whisper came again, and she moved just a step.
“MOM! Did you hear me?”
She sighed. “Yes, of course. We’ll go now and grab something for dinner on our way back.” She thought, “When I get home, I promise. I want to be alone with you.”
The remainder of the evening flew. Once or twice she ventured towards the bedroom, but piles of laundry and unwashed dishes drowned any alluring voice. She threw clothes into the washing machine and slammed dishes into the dishwasher. Her fingers pressed against her temples as a buffer against the mounting pain. She reached for a pain reliever and muttered under her breath. “Why can’t anyone around here help? Just a little would be really nice.”
Her head throbbed. Weariness overcame her and a desire for sleep screamed to her. But she needed to pay bills, pack lunches for the next day, and….the list swelled.
The house grew quiet. Everyone slept. A dull pain reverberated through her head in contrast to the earlier pounding. She took another pain reliever and retreated to the bedroom.
He still sat in the corner, but now he held out a hand to her. “I don’t have the strength for one more minute, and my head hurts so much.” Weariness overtook her as she melted into a pile on the floor. Sobs shook her body. Finally she looked up and moved towards him. He held out her Bible – opened to Galatians 5:1. “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
The truth hit hard. She knew freedom, but her life resembled that of a prisoner. So many demands filled every moment that she seldom spent time with her Lord. She wept in shame and sorrow as he waited in silence just as He did every day. The excuses in her mind fell to the ground unspoken. The simple truth rang through her heart. All of the stuff in her world took precedence over her time in reading and studying her Bible and even her prayers came in short little bursts – usually when she wanted Him to do something to make her life easier.
“Oh Lord, forgive me. I’ve made everything more important than You and in the end, I’ve put myself under bondage instead of walking in Your freedom.”
He held out both arms and said, “Come to me my heavy laden child, and I will give you rest. Come.”
She flew to His waiting arms and rested there until daylight. Sweet dreams and peace filled her sleep. As the first light appeared, He nudged her gently, and she feasted on His loving Words until the alarm clock reminded her to start the day fresh and restored.
