Check list

Is spending time with God, visiting with Him and Him with me, just something to cross off my "to do" list?

I just started reading a book "Enjoying the Closeness of God" by Roger C.  Palms. And not one page into it this was what was glaring out from the page at me!!  I had prayed before hand that the Lord would use this book to draw me to Himself and to make me more fruitful for His work.  I really want to enjoy and sense His presence in my life.  I want those times of visiting to be constant and consistent !!

The author was speaking of a visit he had made to Notre Dame Cathedral and how the intense tourist activity made it a very noisy visit.  He spoke of one couple in particular, and it is that passage with God used to speak to me.
     "The man had a checklist in his hand.  As they stopped into the sun light, the             man asked his wife, 'was that the cathedral of Notre Dame?'
      She answered that is was, with that confirmation, he took out his pencil,
      ticked off that item on his out list, and they hurried away."

It hit me so strongly.  Is this what my time with Jesus is?  Something to be marked off my "to do" list?  I really think in  some ways this is the case.  It's not that I don't enjoy my time with the Lord, but it does tend to get lumped into the to do list category.  And oh, how I am so sorry for that and do not want it to be that way at all.

Instead, I want it to be something I am looking forward to, like sitting down with a dear friend for coffee and talk.  A peaceful interlude to start or interrupt my day. A time of closeness and solitude with the Lord.  And it can be and is all those things, but I want to get it off the "to do" list mentality.  I think God wants me to start seeing our time together, our visits in a different light.  And I want to also.

Lord, help me to have to proper perspective of our time together.  It is the most special time of my day and I want to look at it in the right way, with the right heart. Thank You for correcting this attitude in me.