Confessions of a Teenage Christian (A Devotional Book for Teen Girls)

October 15, 2016 [Routine]

"And Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never be thirsty.'" ~John 6:35

Routine-

Several weeks ago, I was running late for school one morning. I had hit the snooze button one too many times, and before I knew it, I had about ten minutes to get ready. I raced downstairs, darting past the fridge and out the door empty-handed to my stomach's dismay.

For the rest of the morning, I was painfully reminded of my sacrifice of breakfast. I sat with my arms tightly crossed against my stomach in hopes of silencing its cries for hunger. Finally, I gave in and snacked on some of my lunch packed for the day.

Teenagers get busy really fast. At this age, we're out of the house more than we're in. School seems to be our main priority and it takes up a lot of our day. Then, we're spending any free time we can grasp onto with our friends. Some of us work, and most of us have chores at home. Don't forget Wednesday night church, sports practices, and any extra curricular activities. It can get super hectic almost instantly. I'm grateful by the time my head hits the pillow, exhausted by a busy day. Then, the alarm goes off the next morning, and it starts all over again.

Skipping out on breakfast can have a bigger effect on you than expected. Sometimes we get into a bind where it feels like we have to sacrifice it due to the lack of time, whether we like it or not. Other times, we have the time—yet, we choose to use it on something that seems more valuable than starting off the day with a good meal. However, we start to suffer throughout the day uncomfortably and develop a deep hunger for food.

This is incredibly similar to most of our spiritual lives. Our lives get crammed full with everything that we're doing that is becomes overwhelming, and we feel as if we just don't have time for God.

In reality, I think we have more free time than we'd like to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we try to quench our hunger with things like people or success. It may silent our spirits for a little while, like when I was trying to silence my stomach, but not for long. Unfortunately, that hunger still remains.

Living in God's word and having conversations with Him on a daily basis is absolutely vital to our spiritual walk. We need it to live the life He has designed for us. God fuels us to get through each day, and without it, our Christian walk will become sluggish and exhausted. What good can a sluggish spirit do for God's glory?

A lot of us are pushing God off to the side. I'm going to be completely honest in saying I've been pushing God off to the side. It's easy to do, but we need to hold ourselves accountable so that it'll be just as easy to get out of. I know how busy life can get, but I promise you, there's time for God in your life. We spend more time than we think on earthly things that amount to very little. And despite thinking that those thing will replenish us with the energy and passion we need, it won't. It never will.

Dear God,
I haven't been talking to You as much as I should. I know I haven't been prioritizing my life like I should, and it's starting to affect me. I've become weary and sluggish. I pray that you will replenish me, Lord. Give me the strength to allow myself enough time to efficiently grow in my walk with You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.