Do you get caught up in the chaos of life and never find the time to connect to Christ? 

Each morning you get up with good intentions to have quiet time alone, but a kid wakes up early or your alarm doesn’t go off and you rush into your day. 

Around the breakfast table, you try to wrangle kids to eat their breakfast, grab their homework, get on their shoes, and your hopes of a devotional time with them fly out the window. 

On the way to school or to catch the bus, they squabble in the car, and your day and theirs begins in chaos instead of calm. 

Then you go to work, at home or an office, and the day’s tasks sweep you away.

In the evening you have hopes of getting in that devotional, but homework, chores, suppertime, and kids’ sports and activities eat up all your time, and you’re so tired by bedtime that you sweep them into bed and hop on your phone or read your favorite book for just a few moments of quiet before you begin to clean up the kitchen and reset the house to do it all again tomorrow. 

What if it didn’t have to be this way? What if the chaos could be calmed and Christ could be an intricate part of your days? 

He states in John 10:10, 

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (NIV)

But does the life you live feel like a full life? The secret is a few chapters later. He says in John 15:4: 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (NIV)

He knows we can’t do it without his help. He knows we can’t live the full life he promised alone, and he invites us to abide in him. 

Abiding seems so hard to grasp, but really it means “to remain,” “to continue to be present,” “to be held, kept, continually.”1  Isn’t that a glorious picture? Abiding in Jesus isn’t just a three times a week at church thing or fifteen minutes in the morning quiet time, though those are very good. 

Abiding is constantly remaining in his presence minute by minute. Being held by Jesus. 

How to Abide

What if your morning could look like this?

Each morning you get up with good intentions to have quiet time alone, but a kid wakes up early or your alarm doesn’t go off and you rush into your day. You may not have time for a longer quiet time, but you reach for the short devotional on your table or phone and hand them a children’s Bible story. 

Around the breakfast table, kids rush in and out to get homework, put on shoes, and hopefully, get something in their stomach before school. As they rush by, you ask if anyone wants to say the memory verse you’ve posted on the kitchen fridge. You have a few takers, give them stars on their charts and hustle them out the door. 

On the way to school or the bus, you ask who wants to pray first. You all take turns praying and you get to model for your kids what it looks like to give Christ your day first. You even ask him for his help for your day and theirs knowing none of you can do this alone. 

If you have time, you all listen to a devotional podcast for kids before you drop them off. 

On the way to work, you listen to worship music to calm your spirit, lean into Jesus and share with him those things weighing you down.

Throughout your workday, you continue to abide by giving the chaos to him. Asking for his wisdom and help. Leaning into his wisdom on decisions and difficult people. A calm settles in knowing you’re held by him. 

In the evening’s mad dash of homework, supper, and activities, you play worship music in the background. 

As you reset your home for the next day, you listen to a podcast that reminds you where your strength comes from for your day and that points you back to Jesus. 

This day is possible. It starts with prayer, asking him for guidance and help to abide in him, and ends with accepting Jesus’ invitation to abide.

Jesus doesn’t want to be just one more thing on your to-do list. He wants you to hand the to-do list over to him and rely on him for the strength you need to get through your day. 

If you’d like more ideas for how to abide, join the Abide 5 Day challenge: 5 Ways to Focus on Jesus that begins Oct. 7th ! 

In it you’ll: 

• Discover ways to abide in Jesus throughout your day.
• Learn about resources to help you.
• Find peace in pursuing a daily walk with Jesus.

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Do you want to learn more about how to abide in Jesus daily? Click below to get my new book Abide: 40 Ways to Focus on Jesus Daily. In it you’ll find 40 ways to begin making Jesus a daily part of your life today! Click the image below to purchase your copy.

1  “G3306 meno,” Interlinear/Concordance, John 15:5, Blue Letter Bible app, accessed August 6, 2019.