Quiet Times
Confession: I'm really bad about having regular quiet times. I just don't have them. I wake up, take a shower, get dressed, then go about my day. I read a lot, and much of what I read is spiritually encouraging. I also pray little thoughts here and there throughout my day. I read the Bible...sometimes. Like every once in a while. After all, I already know what it says.
I've been convicted about this recently (if conviction is that uncomfortable feeling...that little voice telling me that my focus is often superficially placed...my attempts to do things in my OWN strength might be failing for a reason...that God doesn't want just our brains--our intellectual agreement with His existence and His principles--He wants our hearts too. He wants a relationship. And I have to spend TIME with someone in order to have a relationship.)
I've always been bad about the quiet time thing, because it seems overly pious..."staged" if you will. When I picture quiet times, I envision someone sitting in a dark (invariably cold!) room at 4:00 in the morning, trying to stay awake and focused. They read the requisite passages, trying to conjure up some nugget of spiritual enlightenment through their sleep-deprived fog. I've tried being that person before, and it always lasted for about 2 days. (Especially because, perfectionist that I am...I had to do it RIGHT and start out at 1 1/2-2 hour quiet times. I suspect such long periods of time take some working up to;o)
But truly, if quiet times are simply about relationship, then I need to remember that waking up at 4:00am and sitting in the cold is not the part God cares about. He simply cares about me giving Him my time...and my focus. He deserves that. And I NEED that. (But maybe not at 4:00am:o)
So...don't mind me...but I may be using this blog as a form of accountability as I start making more regular times in my day to stop and focus on Him. I may occasionally post some verses I read or some thoughts about Him as I try harder to put Him first in my life. After all, I'd like HIM, not me, to be front and center on this blog as well as in my life.
I've been convicted about this recently (if conviction is that uncomfortable feeling...that little voice telling me that my focus is often superficially placed...my attempts to do things in my OWN strength might be failing for a reason...that God doesn't want just our brains--our intellectual agreement with His existence and His principles--He wants our hearts too. He wants a relationship. And I have to spend TIME with someone in order to have a relationship.)
I've always been bad about the quiet time thing, because it seems overly pious..."staged" if you will. When I picture quiet times, I envision someone sitting in a dark (invariably cold!) room at 4:00 in the morning, trying to stay awake and focused. They read the requisite passages, trying to conjure up some nugget of spiritual enlightenment through their sleep-deprived fog. I've tried being that person before, and it always lasted for about 2 days. (Especially because, perfectionist that I am...I had to do it RIGHT and start out at 1 1/2-2 hour quiet times. I suspect such long periods of time take some working up to;o)
But truly, if quiet times are simply about relationship, then I need to remember that waking up at 4:00am and sitting in the cold is not the part God cares about. He simply cares about me giving Him my time...and my focus. He deserves that. And I NEED that. (But maybe not at 4:00am:o)
So...don't mind me...but I may be using this blog as a form of accountability as I start making more regular times in my day to stop and focus on Him. I may occasionally post some verses I read or some thoughts about Him as I try harder to put Him first in my life. After all, I'd like HIM, not me, to be front and center on this blog as well as in my life.
posted by Erin | 11:51 PM
2 Comments:
Yes, that would be conviction :)
I have the same problem. It's a daily struggle for all Christians!
I especially like the line about "I know what it says anyway."
I've been trying to decide how much memorization/meditation "counts" as quiet time. If it can't, what's the point of memorizing at all? Isn't having the Word within us the point of the exercise?
Sorry. When I figure out what I'm thinking I'll move the discussion to my own blog. ;-)
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