“Gotta” Meltdown

It was not my finest moment.

 My “got to do” list was overwhelming. On it were all of the normal things of life like cooking, cleaning, shopping, making calls, sending notes, and caring for family. Then there were the extras, the fun things, like lunch with a friend and Friday night out with Don. Added to these were the “gottas” of ministry—gotta  post on Facebook, gotta write a new blog, gotta send post cards, gotta develop new messages, and more. By midweek, I was more than a little overwhelmed. Finally, the “gottas”  resulted in an emotional meltdown and a physical shut down.

 The “gottas” had become “gotchas” and I was a mess. I cried real tears as I cried out in prayer to the Lord. “Lord, show me the true “gottas”.  What are the things you want me to do first? Most?”

 I sat quietly until an inaudible, yet clear, voice spoke simply, “Psalm 42.”

 Before I could find the passage, the doorbell rang and I was on to the next thing. The rest of the day was filled with demands. I fell into bed that night without another thought of the whispered Word.

 When I awoke, my mind raced immediately to the “gottas” of the day. Then there it was again, the inaudible whisper reminded me, “Psalm 42.”

 I rolled out of bed, grabbed my iPhone and listened to the first couple of verses.  

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
Psalm 42:1-2

I pressed the pause button and let the words saturate my parched soul. 

“Ah, Lord, I see now. I get it. The first and most important “gotta” is to get to you, to meet with You, God, and to drink from streams that will never run dry.”

Dear Friend, let me ask you, what is on your “got to do” list today? Why not put, right at the top, “gotta get to Jesus?”