Ask my kids where they typically find me, and they’ll likely say, on the recliner couch in our family room. They would be right. (That comfy leather recliner is hands down one of the best purchases we’ve made.) Ask them what they’ll find me doing and they’ll probably say, scrolling on my phone (on the previously mentioned leather recliner). They would be right again.

My husband is usually at his desk in front of three monitors in his home office which is nerded out to look like an airplane cockpit complete with multiple flashing screens and flickering lights.

My kids are generally behind their laptops or sifting through the kitchen cupboards for snacks.

We all have our regular spots and our by-default behavior patterns.

As I read Luke chapter 2, the account of 12-year-old Jesus missing after He was presented at the temple, I “walked” with Mary and Joseph to look for him. They searched for Jesus among friends and relatives who had also traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. Was He chilling with the other pre-teens in the crowd? He wasn’t. They retraced their steps and searched for Him in Jerusalem. Was He perhaps buying falafels in the marketplace or taking pictures in the town square? He wasn’t.

Finally, they found Jesus in the temple courts. He was listening to the teachers and asking questions. He was doing his thing.

Mary and Joseph were understandably upset. Their boy had never been disobedient. Ever. The fact was, Jesus wasn’t being rebellious this time either. But they didn’t quite get it at first. Jesus looks up at them quizzically and says:

“Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49)

This was where Jesus “had to be.” This was His default spot. This was where He instinctively went. He was drawn to this place by divine compulsion.

As I read those words, I felt challenged.

If you ask my kids where they usually find me, I would love for them to say, “On her knees in prayer,” or “Reading her Bible on the couch.” I would love for that to be my default, the place I “had to be.”

That seems almost laughable given the demands, deadlines, and, of course, devices that fill our days. But, often, the prayer from Psalm 27: 4 has crossed my lips:

One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.

There’s no point in praying that I dwell in God’s house if my default is vegging on the couch with my phone.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t make time for rest and recreation. I’m saying that we should first make room for God—so we find our rest in Him and are re-created by Him.

Scripture reminds us to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances,” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

If my hands are constantly swiping and scrolling, there’s little time for them to be lifted up in rejoicing.

If I’m always on the couch or at my desk, there’s little opportunity to be on my knees in prayer.

If I’m always browsing on social media, there’s little occasion to give thanks.

It’s good to do a “hygiene check” of our habits every once in a way, especially when the Holy Spirit convicts us of a certain behavior that has become our default mode. Our habits are an excellent thermometer of our heart’s condition.

As I began this year, my word for 2025 was “self-denial.” It’s my prayer that I would die to certain habits daily so the very first word on my lips is Jesus. May we ask God to re-create our passions, priorities, and patterns of behavior so our default is to be in the presence of God. May He be our go-to.

 

---

If this blog resonated with you, SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter for FREE so you get my posts delivered to your inbox. I would love a Facebook or Instagram follow or share if you’re on social media. Thanks a ton for stopping by!