Activate Your Day: Prioritize God with the Master Switch

“In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success,”     Proverbs 3:6

 “ Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well. “ Matthew 6:33

“Put God first in everything you do.” Denzel Washington

Last week, I had an early morning flight. After arriving, I rented a car and drove to the hotel. Upon checking in, I entered the hotel room with my baggage and flipped switches, but nothing happened.  

This felt like a Deja Vu moment. Then I remembered when this same situation happened several years ago for the first time.  When it happened years ago, I called the front desk and the conversation went something like this ..

Me: I think something is wrong. The lights aren’t working. I am turning on all the switches and nothing is happening. There’s no light.

Front Desk: Ms. Spencer, did you turn on the Master Switch? 

Me: The Master Switch? 

Front Desk: Yes, it is the first switch and it’s positioned right by the door as you enter. Once you turn on the Master Switch, the in-room lighting will be activated. The room’s lighting system is controlled by the Master Switch.

Me: I’m so embarrassed ….I can’t believe I walked right by it. 

Fast forward to last week, I replayed that conversation in my head and walked back to the front door and there it was … The Master Switch must be on for all Lights to work.

Guess what happened?

I turned on the switch and the room was flooded with light.  I had turned on all the switches, but there was no connection until I turned on the Master switch.  That was the activation that I needed.  Instead of dropping my baggage and turning on the Master Switch, I lugged my heavy baggage right by it.

I was so distracted, carrying my baggage in the room that I walked right past the Master Switch. I immediately started turning on switches and trying to make stuff work.  Taking time turning switches on and off, and nothing was happening. I was just going through the motions

Have you ever had days where you forgot to activate the Master Switch?

We wake up and open the door to a new day, and immediately receive and respond to calls, text messages, emails, and family members. The day goes by in a blur; we are doing everything yet getting absolutely nothing accomplished.

When you finally have that moment and say to yourself, “I think something’s wrong” and we receive the answer in a variety of ways, through a song, a statement or even in stillness… Did you activate the Master Switch? Sometimes, it means stopping what we’re doing and starting our day over. We pause, go back and begin our day again …even if it is in the afternoon.

Take the time to pray, sip that cup of coffee, tea, meditate, take a short walk, deep breathes, silence your phone, read a short devotional, listen to that playlist and then our inner spirit lights up. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that we missed taking time out at the beginning of the day, and walk right past the Master’s Presence that can guide us on the way.

I’ve been thinking about this intentional time of beginning the day centering and connecting with God.  It is fitting that the Master Switch reminder comes this season.

Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday followed by Ash Wednesday, which will usher us into the season of Lent. It is a time of Consecration, prayer , fasting and intentional practices that are done for the 40 days.

My intention during Lent will be to focus on spiritual practices that I want to keep as a part of my life beyond the 40 days.

In the past, this has been the season where I have focused on what to release and then I pick it back up when the Lenten season ends.  It has been the season, where I embraced practices then put them aside when the Lenten season ends. 

But this season is different, I choose to let go of things that I don’t want to pick up again when the season ends.  This season I want to embrace practices that I plan on continuing to practice.

This season the fast that I want to take will last beyond the Lent season and remain.  This includes making sure I slow down and turn on the Master Switch before my day can begin.

Lights on,

Sheila P. Spencer