It’s six in the morning. I’m working. And I am sitting in my classroom waiting on a student to show up to class.

As many of you know I teach for VIPKID. It’s honestly the best job for me. I teach kids in China, from home, during hours my kids are asleep. I have a little classroom set up in my basement with a bunch of props and teaching goodies. I get my “teacher fix” while being able to stay home with my kids. Honestly, the hardest part of the job is waking up.

But here I am “working” and literally quite bored. I am 10 minutes into a class that the student is not showing up for.

I see my props laying off to the side and wonder if I should just put them away. I wonder if I should just set up for the next class.

Is she really not going to show? Or is she just running really late? Did she forget?  Is she having problems with her internet connection?

All of these thoughts have run through my head and left. At least it’s better than trial classes. When I have a trial class, I know it’s a 50/50 chance the child will not show up for the class.

I wonder… what does God think when we don’t show up for our time with him?

no show

Personally, I like to schedule alone time with God in the mornings. Before I started this job, I woke up, read my Bible, prayed, mediated, reflected, and just enjoyed time with God.

Then I started this job and it threw a monkey wrench in my God time. There was no way I could commit to waking up at 3:30 in the morning.

I had to realize that while spending time with God first thing in the morning is awesome, it doesn’t have to be the very first thing. As my friend Krystal said in her vlog- “There’s nothing more holy about those hours.”

What was important was that I still planned time with Him. 

Let me just say- I love my husband very much, but if I never spent any time with him, our relationship would suffer.  Some days are just so busy that we don’t see each other most of the day. But when we do see each other, we make it meaningful. We put down our phones, games, work, and whatever else we are doing and talk.

Some days this time is in the morning before he goes to work. Some days this is in the evenings when he gets home from work. Some days it’s a phone call because we know it’s just not going to line up. But we make an effort. We communicate. We don’t let a day go by that we do not show each other we love each other.

Our relationship with God is no different. If you want your relationship to thrive, you must invest. You must show your love by showing up when you commit to showing up. Some days are a little more hectic than others, find time. We, as humans, have a time management problem. But guess what- God always shows up. We need to do the same.

I already know what you are thinking- I just don’t have the time. But you do. You have 24 hours in a day. You just choose to use your time differently. Put down that game on your phone. Limit your time scrolling through social media. Turn off that rerun on the television. There is something that you do throughout the day that is a waste of time- and I guarantee you know what it is.

Most Christians I know struggle with finding time to spend with God. But we fail to recognize that all the time we have is His time. He is just waiting for you to see that. 

I want to encourage you- you are not alone. Our culture says stay busy. (It’s a tactic of our enemy.) But God says, “Be still and know that I am God.”

There is nothing wrong with having work, hobbies, friends, family, and things that occupy your time. But make sure they are not the priority of your time.

Anything that takes away from your relationship with God is a god.

So make an appointment with God. EVERYDAY!

And keep it!