Ashton stood next to me Sunday morning, straightening her hair in my bathroom while I put on my makeup. We hadn’t seen each other in a week. She’d been away at camp, as a counselor this year; I’d just returned home from speaking at a conference in North Dakota. I could hardly wait to hear the details, especially since she’d called home the previous Sunday night. “I can’t believe I went to camp every year from middle school through high school and never called home once, and now that I’m a counselor I haven’t even made it through the first day without calling. Is that totally lame?”
JP and I smiled. Then we assured her that she is most definitely not lame and that God was about to use her in the lives of the girls she counseled.
As we stood side-by-side in my bathroom on Sunday morning, I was anxious to know how the week unfolded.
“The thing is, mom, all the girls were concerned that they keep walking with God after they returned home from camp, but they weren’t quite sure how to do it. Most of them don’t have lots of Christian friends, and some are the only Christian in their family. It’s hard to keeping growing in your walk with Jesus in circumstances like that. Especially for a teenager.”
“So what did you tell them?”
“I told them not to make it so difficult.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, for starters, I told them how I’ve kept walking with God while at college: I just make time with God part of what I already do. Like, right when I wake up I pray God would use me that day. I read my Bible while I eat breakfast. I pray while I take a shower or blow dry my hair. I listen to worship music while I put on my make-up. By the time my day’s ready to start I’ve already spent time with God and it hasn’t taken any extra time. It’s just part of what I do. They loved the idea. It seemed doable.”
As Ashton spoke I realized I had stopped putting on my make-up and just stood listening. She was right. Sometimes we make spending time with God so hard, we end up spending no time with God at all.
[bctt tweet=”Don’t make spending time with God complicated, make it consistent.” username=”donnajonesspeak”]Her habits aren’t just for busy students, either. They’re great tools for busy moms and career women. For young women and older women and in-between women. For all of us.
So the next time you’re standing in the bathroom putting on your make-up, styling your hair or brushing your teeth, picture yourself standing beside Ashton and me. We’ll be the ones listening to worship music and talking to Jesus. Join us, would you?
Follow Donna on twitter @donnajonesspeak or on Instagram at donnaajones.
