Quality Time

. . . The glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. Leviticus 9:23-24

We all have our own love language. We all have different ways in which we give and receive love. Personally, my love language is quality time. Simply spending time with those I love is how I give and how I receive love. For Father’s Day, for instance, the gifts are certainly nice, but gifts aren’t my love language. I just want to spend time with my kids. That’s the best thing they could give me. If, however, my kids came to me only when they needed money, that would be hurtful. It’s always been my desire to have the kind of relationship with my children where I want to spend time with them, and they want to spend time with me. If I realized that they only sought me for what I could do for them, I’d not perceive that as love, but rather, self-centeredness.

Today’s passage, like many others in the Bible, reinforces that God has a similar heart – God desires to spend quality time with his children. In the story, Moses led the Israelites in ceremonial sacrifice to seek God’s presence. Inspired by God, Moses had a detailed list to be followed, after which, the LORD will appear to you (Leviticus 9:4). The people weren’t seeking something from God, but rather, they were seeking God himself, to see him and know him. This is what God desires from his children, that they want to spend time with him. God, it appears, gives and receives love through quality time.

The problem for many of us, is that we know God only as a genie in the bottle, attempting to draw him out whenever we need something. We go to God only for what he can do for us. God, however, desires that we want to know him, spending quality time with him. So, what does that look like?

For me, it means that I get up early every morning to read, pray, and meditate. This morning, for instance, I had an extra 20 minutes in my schedule, so I set up my lawn chair in the predawn hours, watching the moon and stars, while praying and seeking God. Like any relationship, my relationship with God takes time to cultivate and it is the cultivation that is the point. God desires that we give of our time to spend it with him. It has been in seeking and knowing God that my life has been transformed. So, daily, I’ll keep spending quality time with my heavenly father.