I was flossing my teeth last night, as I regularly do (you would, too, if a year ago you got caught with 8 cavities!). And it occurred to me that my quiet time is not like flossing. Captain Obvious strikes again.

Here’s what I mean: I don’t love flossing. I don’t like flossing. In fact, I barely tolerate flossing. But the fear of the drill that brings me back. It’s just something I have to do, a part of my daily routine that I mentally check off every day.

And I realized–as I stood there stringing the pearlies–that if I am not careful, it is too easy for my quiet time to take on a “flossing” quality. It can become something that I just do, to check it off my list.

The remedy for the “flossing” quiet time is to remember that it’s about a person. It’s about Jesus Christ. Having a quiet time is about spending time with Savior, getting to know him better. The amazing thing about it is that we can know God and have a relationship with Him through the work of Jesus Christ. I’m reminded of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church in Ephesians 1:17:

“…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him…”

If your quiet times have been like flossing lately, ask your parents what you can do to grow in the knowledge of God and passion for the Savior. Consider reading together John Piper’s When I Don’t Desire God. Pray together. Ask your parents what they’re getting out of their quiet times. Then draw near to God and he will draw near to you (James 4:8).

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