As I have mentioned, I subscribe to 2 daily devotionals. I've mentioned the Streaming Faith Daily Devotional (http://www.streamingfaith.com/community/devotional/default.aspx) before, but I also subscribe to Proverbs 31 Ministries (http://www.proverbs31.org/dailydevotions/dailyDevotions.php). Yesterday's devotional really resonated with me, as it happened to me this morning!!!! I get up at 2am Monday - Friday, and 3am on Saturday and Sunday. I deliver newspapers, and as you can imagine, people want their newspapers fairly early. Once I'm done delivering, I go to the YMCA and walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes doing whatever it takes (6.5 incline, 4.2 MPH) to burn off 400 calories. Then I go home and get myself and 2 kids dressed and packed and shuffled off to school, to the sitter, and to work. I get off work at 5pm and pick the kids up by 6pm. We are generally home by 6:15. That gives me 1 hour and 45 minutes to get dinner done, give medicines, iron clothes and pack lunches. Despite my best efforts, rarely am I in bed before my desired bedtime of 8pm. The first thing I do once the alarm clock goes off is head to the bathroom/prayer closet and read some scripture and talk to my Daddy (pray to God). However, this morning, I kept nodding off during my reading and my conversation. I hate when that happens. But God knows my heart. I believe this devotional was written just for me to assure me that God knows and He cares and any time - not necessarily 2am - is the right time to talk to him. Enjoy.....
Communing Over Chaos
9 Nov 2009
Whitney Capps
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15:4 (NIV)I am out-going and chatty. I like to make fun of myself. I love to laugh. I enjoy being with people – until I don't. You see, at heart I am an introvert. At some point I can sense my energy waning. I begin to crave quiet, silence and solitude.This is why I cherish quiet time with the Lord. I love the stillness of sitting and reading the Word or a book that turns my heart toward Jesus. My husband knows that one way to fill my love tank is to give me an evening of going out to dinner alone: just me, Jesus and a good book. (All you extroverts just cringed at the thought of eating alone didn't you?) Don't get me wrong, I adore my family, but I need mental white space.However, with three kids under age four, quiet time with the Lord is an endangered species. I don't often get to go the bathroom by myself. If the water closet isn't a quiet place, you can imagine the chaos that follows me to my prayer closet.For a few months after our youngest was born I lived in a spiritual desert. My soul was parched. I was desperate for quiet time with Jesus and prayed earnestly for God to help me find time to be alone with Him. Faithfully, He always provided, but often my tired and flesh-wrapped spirit dozed off in prayer or got distracted by other things.I couldn't consistently make it work. After several months of mostly failed attempts, I cried out to God, "I don't know how to be alone with You!""Daughter, you don't have to be alone with Me. Just be with Me. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you."Rather than give up on being with Jesus because it's not like it used to be, my Savior is asking me to abide with Him all day. God has ordained this season of my life and He knows even better than I do how much my children demand of me. In the clamor of the sword fights and confusion in the playroom, He is my hiding place.I am learning to seize each moment, and see it as an opportunity to fellowship with Jesus. While my kids recite "God is great; God is good," I have a chat with Jesus. When I feel alienated from girlfriends, I read a magazine article. P31 Woman and Today's Christian Woman magazines are spiritual lifeboats for me in this season. While my kids do art at the kitchen table, I read a psalm or two. Whenever possible I try to have praise music playing in our house. Sometimes singing those lyrics is the closest my heart may come to meaningful prayer time all day.Please hear me. I am not suggesting that these brief moments should replace consistent, focused times of prayer and Bible study. Those habits are hallmarks of Christian discipleship and growth. I am learning, however, to rethink my ideas on fellowship with Jesus. In this season of my life it's not so much the quantity of quiet reflection as it is the steady communing over chaos. But hey, at least we are together!