Today I...
...was very glad I'd started my day in the living room with my small basket of books and my journal on my lap.
"I'll get the tea," I said out loud to God, as I headed down the hallway to the bathroom and the kitchen (in that order). I looked over at the blue chair that was waiting for me and realized that I am finished with trying to plow through life without that few moments of restoration that I've been able to grab every single morning for the last two weeks. And they say it takes six weeks to start a habit...
I've spent time in devotions before, though it's always been sporadic. They have always been "hit and miss" with me int he past, and admittedly, more "miss" that "hit". (But we are "free in Christ, right? It's not a religion! :) )
But this year as I approached my birthday (just before Christmas) I began to sense God doing something "new" in me. Through a series of events, which included listening particularly hard to the last few sermons of the year, and responding particularly attentively to the yearnings of my own hungry heart, I heard God calling me back. Back to meeting with him, but not just hit and miss this time.
What made the difference? What convinced me? Well, I stopped looking at this time spent with God as a religious activity, or an obligation, or a "rule to be followed", and started rather to see it as a wise "investment" of time.
"Do you want to end up," Pastor Rick asked intently, "in exactly the same place next year that you are in this year?"
I knew that my answer to that question was a resounding "no". And I knew that if I wanted to really see something "more" next year than I was seeing this year, I would have to invest my time accordingly.
So just before Christmas I purposed in my heart to go straight to the living room first thing in the morning. No matter what. Yes, even if I was late for work.
And I'm not sorry. In fact, I'm loving this time with God every morning so much that it's hard to think about ever quitting... He has not disappointed me one iota. And I'm noticing some changes. But more about that later. (Maybe tomorrow!)
