When Life Gets Busy and We Make Excuses.

I know I literally just posted about how I am reading through the Bible in a year and I'm sure to a lot of people that it extremely encouraging to hear. It's encouraging to me to know that this is one of my goals, but I'm here to admit today that I have gotten behind in my reading this week and have spent little to no time in the Word this week. Much of this is due to the fact that I have recently started working my two part time jobs and have told myself that I am "too busy" or that I'll "get to it later" to wake up the next day and realize that I never "got to it." I know this whole Bible in a year reading won't be easy, but man what a difference it makes when you're reading your Bible everyday to when you're not. I have seen the direct affects of not spending that quality time with the Lord and unfortunately so have the people around me.

This is my confession (without the sweet song and million dollar hit: sorry Usher): That this week I have not been in the Word and reading my Bible or even spending any kind of time with God and as a direct result I have been ugly and mean. Yes, I realize I sound like a 5 year old child but in reality that's how I have been acting. I am a sinner who is in a constant battle everyday and this week I chose not to fight but to surrender to sin. As a result I became easily frustrated with people and with actions that normally would be unnoticed and I acted in a way that was hateful. What was the big issues you ask....dirty dishes. That's right. Dirty Dishes. I fell to sin and rather than approaching my roommates with love I approached them with hate and frustration. It all happened in a matter of minutes and then we went our separate ways for the day.

The best part about this entire situation is that God used it to remind me of the grace He has for me.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves,

it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. -Ephesians 2:8-9

I could not stop thinking about the way I had allowed for sin to take over and it was all because I had made excuses for not spending time with God and in the Word; I knew I needed to confess these sins not only to God but to my roommates and ask for their forgiveness. On my way home I was so worried about how this would all go down and honestly I was fighting with my pride. I was about to walk in and admit to my roommates that I was in the wrong and ask for their forgiveness. Looking back I am glad that God granted me the courage to apologize to my roommates. It was so freeing to confess my sins to them and ask for forgiveness. I am so thankful that God used this to remind me of His grace and to remind me of Romans 5:20b:

"but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more."