Gather or Scatter

"If I miss my quiet time in the morning, I feel off for the entire day." 

 I have heard this spoken often over the years.  Just last night, as we broke bread with two lovely young couples from our church, one of the women, cradling her baby as her toddler jumped into giant pillows by her feet, said the same.  She would rather rise at break of day before the first calls of children and lose sleep than lose time with God. 

The other sweet young thing, balancing her one-year-old between her knees, said that when asked about her hobbies, the only thing she could think of was how she and her husband listen to sermon podcasts and read theology books in their free time.  These are two bright, beautiful, savvy, sociable leaders.  God is filling them up and his goodness is spilling out. 

I have often wondered why it matters.  We are saved by grace.  Isn't it good enough that we know the Jonah and Noah stories and can get the gist of Jesus' parables?  At least we own some Bibles, right?  We get a good dose of religion at church, right?

Something about the verse I read this morning in Luke wrapped a ribbon around my wonderings...

He who is not for me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.  -Luke 11:23

I know what it feels like to gather around God, a player huddled with the coach, looking for wisdom and direction.  And I know what it feels like to scatter.  To flit from one chore to the next, never feeling productive, or worse, to hide from priorities and waste all manner of time. 

I tell my kids... "First things first."  There is really not a better mantra. 

 "Do what you have to do so you can do what you want to do."  That's another favorite mom-quote. 

"What must be done is best done cheerfully."  I stole that from Pa Ingalls. 

But it's all true.  When I gather with God, as I should and ought; as I cultivate a relationship with Him and draw deeply unto Him, then what I ought to do becomes what I want to do.  What I should do becomes what I get to do. 

What could be scattered and lost is suddenly gathered up, like morning manna held in an apron-sling, perfectly portioned for the day ahead.