Out the window, white blossoms float down through the windswept branches of the tall crabapple trees. They cascade to the ground in wild flurries. Spinning and turning, they beckon me until all I can think of is getting outside. I want to lean my shoulders against those sturdy, sap-covered trunks. To smell the sweet aroma. To feel soft petals litter my long, dark hair.

But the battle between ‘should’ and ‘want’ is fierce.

There’s too much to do. Too many emails to send, errands to run. How can I possibly play hooky? How can I frolic in God’s beauty, waste time in the sunshine?

It’s a battle we often face—is it not?—when deciding whether to spend time with God. Do we check more off that growing to-do list or choose to sit at Jesus’ feet? Do we get more done—all good and God-honoring things—or do we come and dwell in His presence, sit in His creation, soak in His Word?

Spending time with God can feel like sitting under those crabapple trees. A desirable endeavor yet a hindrance to all the other things pressing on us to do. Still, I’ve begun to pray God would make Himself irresistible again. I want Him to be so irresistible, in fact, I can’t help but let go of control, to leave the to-do list behind for a time, and revel and rest in Him.

After all, His spiritual blossoms of grace falling are what we need most. His mercy swirling, His love fragrancing, His truth sticking like sap to our weary, worn-out souls. These give us the strength to press on, to keep fighting. Will you let Him fill you again today?

“Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” Psalm 116:7 (ESV)

*Originally published by The Joyful Life Magazine.