I hate to say it, but I think I know who got the other half of the tail...
Lucy gazing out the window
Holly and Lucy
Holly and Lucy
The following letter is a testimony that I was asked to do for our church newsletter a few months ago. I was thinking today of how important it is for young moms, old moms, grandmoms, whomever, to really get down and get committed to a personal time just between the Lord and you each day. It isn't easy, it's hard. It doesn't come naturally, but the rewards are endless. You learned to brush your teeth regularly, so it's a question of making time with the Lord a habit, just like brushing your teeth. And with little ones running around doing everything in their earthly power to distract you, it will take everything you've got to make a little extra time for that one-on-one. But 5 minutes is better than no minutes, and once the little ones are not so little, you will have developed a discipline that will keep you balanced throughout your life. I can't emphasize enough this one thing: God first, family next, everything else last...although there will be times this just isn't possible, if you can follow through MOST of the time, it will benefit you more than you can imagine!
"Our pastor talked to us recently about setting aside special times for quiet with the Lord. I had already established years ago a morning devotional time, but was finding that there are times when I need more than that. I took several days and went to our cabin all by myself in August (even though I think it’s a little spooky to stay there overnite alone, but God reassured me of His presence whenever I needed it) in order to spend time listening to Him. I was having some difficult issues to work through, decided I needed to get away with Him, and amazingly as I was driving north it became quite clear to me that it wasn’t happening because I had made the plans, but rather that He was doing the calling to come away, and I was just responding to His voice. That made all the difference in the way I viewed my time with Him, and the attitude that I had about really listening to Him and then following through on what I believed He was leading me to do in the coming year. One of those challenges was to spend an extended period of time weekly alone with Him in the prayer room (still working on that), as well as to continue my time with Him each morning in my kitchen reading my Indeed devotional, my bible, and then listening to worship music while I praise and pray. This has so renewed and restored my relationship with Him, which I truly needed as I had allowed anxieties and fears to crowd out His quieter voice.
God has done the most wonderful teaching for me about this very thing through my 2 dogs, of all things. I have 2 Cavaliers, which are the most devoted of companions in the doggy world. They rarely leave my side, and anticipate my every move from room to room, just so that they don’t miss out on anything, I think. But interestingly, in the mornings when I’m having my quiet time in the kitchen, Lucy will spend that time in the next room standing up on the arm of a chair looking out the window at the squirrels and birds which are very appealing to the hunter in her. Holly, on the other hand, lays at my feet on the floor, rarely taking her eyes off of me. During this time, I might make a piece of toast or something similar, and since she’s right there, she always gets a tidbit. Lucy misses out on that completely because she is totally distracted by what’s going on outside, and doesn’t even know that she has missed an extra treat. I thought one morning of how much that is like me. I am the one who loves to gaze out the window, metaphorically, thinking about all the things that I love and enjoy, and often being pulled in several directions as to what I want to do next. There’s nothing technically wrong with that, but it allows me to lose my focus on the One who has all the answers and the words of friendship just waiting for me if I take the time to gaze at Him and listen to His voice. Very much like Mary and Martha, but in this case it’s Holly and Lucy. Also, in the evenings I have begun to make it a habit to read the Psalm that corresponds to the date (Psalm 1, (or 31, 61, 91, 121) on the 1st day of the month, etc.) It is wonderful to close the day with God’s word echoing in your mind and heart. It only takes a minute, but the net effect lasts all night!
Sometimes I think people just get overwhelmed with what to do and where to start when establishing those times of devotion, whether daily, or in full retreat mode. There are so many tools that I have discovered that work so well and keep me focused. For instance, just having a devotional magazine like “Indeed” to get started is such a help, and then I follow up by reading the scriptures that go with the reading, often reading much more than has been allotted for the day. I keep worship mixes that I have created on CDs that last about 20 minutes right there in the kitchen, and choose a different one each day. While listening to them and praising Him, I then flow naturally into prayer for others. I keep a laminated card in my bible with the pictures of each of my family members. There is a scripture beside each one of their pictures that I have chosen to pray for them for the year. I let the Holy Spirit lead me in who might need more prayer than others on a particular day, so I don’t feel that it becomes rote. Another point that has helped me tremendously is to make sure that I am sitting right there at the kitchen table rather than in a comfy armchair that has a nice view out the window. (Lucy) I need to make the place where I meet with the Lord to have the least possible distractions.
"Our pastor talked to us recently about setting aside special times for quiet with the Lord. I had already established years ago a morning devotional time, but was finding that there are times when I need more than that. I took several days and went to our cabin all by myself in August (even though I think it’s a little spooky to stay there overnite alone, but God reassured me of His presence whenever I needed it) in order to spend time listening to Him. I was having some difficult issues to work through, decided I needed to get away with Him, and amazingly as I was driving north it became quite clear to me that it wasn’t happening because I had made the plans, but rather that He was doing the calling to come away, and I was just responding to His voice. That made all the difference in the way I viewed my time with Him, and the attitude that I had about really listening to Him and then following through on what I believed He was leading me to do in the coming year. One of those challenges was to spend an extended period of time weekly alone with Him in the prayer room (still working on that), as well as to continue my time with Him each morning in my kitchen reading my Indeed devotional, my bible, and then listening to worship music while I praise and pray. This has so renewed and restored my relationship with Him, which I truly needed as I had allowed anxieties and fears to crowd out His quieter voice.
God has done the most wonderful teaching for me about this very thing through my 2 dogs, of all things. I have 2 Cavaliers, which are the most devoted of companions in the doggy world. They rarely leave my side, and anticipate my every move from room to room, just so that they don’t miss out on anything, I think. But interestingly, in the mornings when I’m having my quiet time in the kitchen, Lucy will spend that time in the next room standing up on the arm of a chair looking out the window at the squirrels and birds which are very appealing to the hunter in her. Holly, on the other hand, lays at my feet on the floor, rarely taking her eyes off of me. During this time, I might make a piece of toast or something similar, and since she’s right there, she always gets a tidbit. Lucy misses out on that completely because she is totally distracted by what’s going on outside, and doesn’t even know that she has missed an extra treat. I thought one morning of how much that is like me. I am the one who loves to gaze out the window, metaphorically, thinking about all the things that I love and enjoy, and often being pulled in several directions as to what I want to do next. There’s nothing technically wrong with that, but it allows me to lose my focus on the One who has all the answers and the words of friendship just waiting for me if I take the time to gaze at Him and listen to His voice. Very much like Mary and Martha, but in this case it’s Holly and Lucy. Also, in the evenings I have begun to make it a habit to read the Psalm that corresponds to the date (Psalm 1, (or 31, 61, 91, 121) on the 1st day of the month, etc.) It is wonderful to close the day with God’s word echoing in your mind and heart. It only takes a minute, but the net effect lasts all night!
Sometimes I think people just get overwhelmed with what to do and where to start when establishing those times of devotion, whether daily, or in full retreat mode. There are so many tools that I have discovered that work so well and keep me focused. For instance, just having a devotional magazine like “Indeed” to get started is such a help, and then I follow up by reading the scriptures that go with the reading, often reading much more than has been allotted for the day. I keep worship mixes that I have created on CDs that last about 20 minutes right there in the kitchen, and choose a different one each day. While listening to them and praising Him, I then flow naturally into prayer for others. I keep a laminated card in my bible with the pictures of each of my family members. There is a scripture beside each one of their pictures that I have chosen to pray for them for the year. I let the Holy Spirit lead me in who might need more prayer than others on a particular day, so I don’t feel that it becomes rote. Another point that has helped me tremendously is to make sure that I am sitting right there at the kitchen table rather than in a comfy armchair that has a nice view out the window. (Lucy) I need to make the place where I meet with the Lord to have the least possible distractions.
The last thing I want to emphasize is that while I have been able to establish this spiritual discipline in my life with God’s guidance and great help, I also have slipped and fallen many times. Too often, especially when I was younger, I thought I just didn’t have those extra few minutes. Little did I realize the cost of neglecting to take that relatively small amount of time by putting Christ first in my day and in my heart. Thankfully, He was always there (and still is) to draw me back into His loving embrace whenever I would guiltily come back, often dragging my feet. He is so quick to forgive, to forget, and to get us moving forward yet again. I am so grateful for that. I pray that every member of our church family would find the treasure that is hidden in God’s word and in spending time in worship and prayer on a daily, or at least a frequent basis. I honestly can’t imagine what kind of a person I would be or what my life would be like if He hadn’t put this desire to spend dedicated time with Him in my heart. He has changed me from the inside out, yet I have such a long, long way to go. I love knowing that He will be with me to continue teaching me and being my closest friend as I continue my journey with Him. "
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