Shhh...Be Quiet...

Happy snowy Wednesday everyone...since it seems everyone has snow! 

Do you ever sense God is calling you to do something but you just don't have the physical and mental strength on your own to do it? Let me explain - the past couple of years I have sensed the Lord urging me to spend more "quiet" time with Him. By quiet time I mean - uninterrupted time with no truck noises from an adorable 20 month old, text messages, phones ringing, husbands asking questions (even though we love our husbands!), poopy diapers, etc! Get the picture? It's just quiet time, alone time, time to focus on the Lord. Well...I've struggled to achieve that and yet feel that God is urging me to do this! How in the world do I accomplish this with so much going on?

I mentioned this little scenario to my women's small group bible study this past week amidst tears because I've felt like a failure. I've always had it in my mind that I needed to to get up early, spend my quiet time, work out, on and on all before getting Anderson up. I HATE getting up in the morning and never got up in time - leading to that good old sense of failure. As I was explaining the leader of our group said, "Why does it have to be in the morning? God knows your heart and what works - maybe it's not morning - maybe it's another time." Don't ask me why but I've never thought about not having such intense expectations on myself! I've always felt if I sit down in the middle of the day I should be working. Pretty much, if I didn't have quiet time in the morning I didn't really have it. I think I was probably so focused on the "when" and "how" that I was distracted from the "quiet." This week I've made myself sit down during Anderson's nap time and have that quiet time I sense God urging me towards. It has been great and I haven't let myself feel inadequate for sitting down in the middle of the day. Our leader also said - "Think about what you are sitting down to do?" The time I spend with God in those moments is far more "productive" than any dishes, laundry, e-mail, etc. I could accomplish during that time.

So...my challenge to you is this, whether it's not eating lunch with co-workers, skipping part of a T.V. show, or (unfortunately) getting up early, take the quiet time the Lord so despretly craves to have with you. God has so much to offer us if we just simply let Him!

"Quiet down before God, be prayerful before Him." 

Psalm 37 - The Message