Encouragement for Women

Do you ever feel that sometimes you are so busy coping with the pressures of life that it is a struggle to make time to spend with God? A woman's work is never done. It can be hard juggling everything that needs to be done, looking after children, spending time with your husband/family, catching up with friends, cleaning the house, doing the shopping, ironing, pressures at work, doing jobs at church etc. I often find that I am writing a list of jobs that needs to be done and I find great delight in crossing them off when they are completed. But it sometimes seems that just as one list is finished, I need to write another longer one!

Many times, we can feel that there isn't enough time in the day to get everything done. Time, it is something we all treasure, something we wish we had more of, but it just seems to slip so quickly through our fingers. I find myself thinking sometimes if only I had time I would.... spend more time in prayer and reading the Bible, helping people etc.

It is at these times that I find I need to assess my priorities. What should my focus be each day? My main aim as a Christian should be serving God and putting him first no matter what I am doing. Jesus said there are two important commandments ...

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-38)

How can we do this? I believe the most important way to do this is by remembering these commandments in all we do. Firstly, we need to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. If we love God with all our heart then we will want to spend time with him and give him the best times of our day.

Start the day committing it to God in prayer and asking for his help and guidance throughout the day. A poem that I sometimes read and it always encourages me is called The Difference. I have included it below ...

The Difference

I got up early one morning

And rushed right into the day;

I had so much to accomplish

That I didn't have time to pray.

.

Problems just tumbled about me,

And heavier came each task.

'Why doesn't God help me?' 'I wondered.'

He answered, 'You didn't ask.'

.

I wanted to see joy and beauty,

But the day toiled on, grey and bleak;

I wondered why God didn't show me,

He said, 'You didn't seek.'

.

I tried to come into God's presence;

I used all my keys at the lock.

God gently and lovingly chided,

'My child, you didn't knock.'

.

I woke up early this morning,

And paused before entering the day;

I had so much to accomplish,

That I had to take time to pray.

Anonymous

It is important to ask God to show you what he would have you do each day. Start the day with Jesus.

'Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. (Proverbs 16:3)

It is during the busy times that I am reminded of the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible. I often feel that I am like Martha wanting to organise and sort everything. But God doesn't want us to be so busy that we don't spend time with him.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me! Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.' (Luke 10:38-42)

Mary had chosen the better option of spending time with Jesus.

Yes like Martha we might have work commitments and things that we must do but it is more important to know what God would have us do. Our time on earth is short and so I encourage you to seriously think about how you are spending your time.

'So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.' (2 Corinthians 4:18)

We need to be careful not to be like the seed in the parable of the sower that landed among the thorns ... Mark 4:18-19 ...'Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.'

There are so many things that can occupy our time and lots of these things we need to do but the most important is spending time with God. I am often challenged about my spare time and whether I am giving God the best times of my day. Is it really important that I spend time on facebook, shopping for new clothes or watching that soap opera on the TV? Ask yourself the question, How would God want me to spend my spare time?

The most important church meeting we can attend is the one where we spend time with God.

In conclusion I want to encourage you to put God first in your life. In Psalm 55:17 it says ...

'Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.'

God hears us when we cry out to him. He wants us to spend time with Him. God loves you and wants the very best for you. I encourage you to set aside some time to pray to God and ask him to show you how you can best manage your own time. Is there a job that God wants you to do for him or is there an activity he wants you to give up? Place your life in his hands and ask God to rule in your heart. I pray that as you do this, God will give you a peace and encourage you in your Christian walk.