Time. Is it something we take for granted or just something we don't use wisely? Today, no one ever seems to have the time –– we're just too busy. If we're not going to work, we're going to school, if we're not going to school, we're doing homework. If there's any spare time, we use it with our family or our friends, to catch up on sleep or watch Netflix. Why is it that we can spend countless hours on Netflix and Facebook, but we can't seem to find time for Jesus?

I, for one, have three agendas. Maybe it's my obsession with being organized and everything having it's place; maybe I just like cute agendas. However, sadly, it has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with the fact that I have a lot on my plate. I'm a full time student, I'm a teacher, I'm a writer and hopefully one day, a blogger. Because of all this, I need an agenda for everything. It keeps my complicated schedule simple by putting everything in it's place. For a really long time, I thought just going to church was enough. I thought, "Well, I'm getting ready, spending a couple hours talking to people about Jesus twice a week, that's good enough." No matter how many times I kept telling myself that, I was just never satisfied with my relationship with Jesus. I've always been a "Jesus Girl," but just like everything else, I grew, so my relationship with the Man upstairs needed to as well.

My mom decided to go to a women's bible study at our local church about a year ago, and the topic was "Taking Time For Sabbath." Sabbath was a word I had heard being thrown around in conversations at home, but never something I took seriously. Sabbath means, "rest." So the study meant, "Taking Time For Rest." I remember sitting down and doing the first chapter of the study in my room one Saturday morning and the first verse I read was Genesis 2:2-3, "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." This is what hit me, God approved of rest –– He himself took time to rest.

Let me put this in perspective for you: the God of the Universe, created you and I, took time to rest, and blesses that. So why can't we take time to rest?

After doing some reevaluating, changing my cleaning days to Fridays and my "getting started" to Sunday nights, I made time for Jesus. Saturday mornings became my favorite day. I woke up at a decent time, grabbed a good cup of coffee, Octavius (my kitty) and I would find a comfy spot on my bed, and I just spent time with Him. If it was praise and worship, devotion or just simply sitting there in silence, I began to hear Him a lot more clearly. I began to think that Saturdays were enough, and as weeks went by, my momentum began to slow down, and I just didn't do it like before.

I started working Saturday mornings, and I spent more time worried about covering my under eyes from the shift the night before than spending time with Him. Everything began going South, my grades weren't doing well, things at work weren't ideal, and I was always tense and tired. This wasn't the way I wanted to keep living my life, all the time and effort I was putting into work, I could have been putting it into my relationship with the Father. So I quit, and with quitting came extra time so I applied to other places but nothing ever came around. I took that as the Father telling me to be patient and spend time with Him. I found this app called "She Reads Truth," and if you've ever heard of it then you know why I love it. It gave me a daily alarm clock that was a simple "Hey! Spend time with Jesus," reminder, along with free devotionals. I took advantage of the resources given to me,and purchased a devotion on Esther.

Crazy as it seems, it changed me, The Word of God, changed me. I found myself addicted to time with Him because the more time I spent with Him, the easier life became. I'm not saying it was all cotton candy and unicorns –– but it's almost like He changed my heart to care for what He cares for and to break at what breaks His. Slowly, everything began falling into place; my grades were back to normal, a job came right after classes ended, I could spend time with my family and enjoy it, and my heart was tender and sensitive to the love of the Father. I began to see His purpose for me, unfolding before me –– and it amazed me because it was only a small piece of the puzzle.

Reflecting just a few weeks ago, I asked myself, "What did I do differently?" My answer was, "I made time for Jesus." I was obedient, I didn't rush into a new job, I didn't get so caught up in what's important to this world. I got caught up in His grace and mercy, and the neverending goodness He has for me. Esther 4:14 says, "Maybe you have come to the kingdom for such a time like this." Those were the words that changed the way I see my relationship with Jesus.

This world will come and go, good things will be offered to us, but they will perish. He, however, will never leave us, and what He has to offer is real. I encourage you to take time for Jesus- if it's once a day or once a week, He appreciates that. Trust me, it'll change you. Don't worry about time, or your busy schedule- shut everything off and focus on Him. He'll make the time you need to get things done, I promise.

"The cure for everything, is to be with Jesus." (me)