You know those snickers commercials where people aren’t themselves until they eat a snickers bar?  I’m sort of like that when I don’t get my time in with the Lord.

Lately, I’ve been busy, far too busy actually, and my times with the Lord have been rushed or unfocused or, worst yet, nonexistent. I can usually do that once or even twice and be okay but by the third day I’m really feeling it and, frankly, I just don’t like who I become.

The truth is that without healthy daily doses of God and His Word in my life, I start to revert back to the man I was before I met Him.  I become weary, irritable, petty, short-tempered, short-sighted, and just sort of miserable.

People that don’t know me too well probably don’t notice much of anything but I’m sure that those that do know me certainly know something is up. The biggest problem, however, is that I know what’s going on inside of me.  I feel it creeping in around the edges of my life and those edges become more and more jaded and jagged.

I have daily times with the Lord not because of some sense of religious obligation or in some attempt to win God’s approval but simply because I need it.  I desperately need it to keep the old man at bay and allow the new me to take root and flourish.

Although I forget this truth far too often and far too easily, I realized some time ago that every good thing I really want for myself, my life, and my relationships with those I love stems out of connecting with God in a meaningful way every day.  I may not always feel like having a quiet time but it’s absolutely essential for the peace, direction, connection, perspective, and empowerment I need to have the life I really want.

And, when I’m not myself, when I’m not the man I really want to be, connecting with God is even better than a snickers bar.