I've had a blessed Sabbath today – unlike any I can
remember. It all started with Jim registering
for a weekend training in Las Vegas.
After he reserved his hotel room, he mentioned that I should go with him
to enjoy the room since he would only be there at night. After a little coaxing from him, and the older
girls saying I should go, I decided to go with him.
I don’t like Las Vegas.
I don’t like the strip. I don’t
like the city. I don’t like gambling. And,
I don’t like the heat. But I knew I would appreciate having some quiet, alone
time (in an air conditioned room). I
love alone time. I always have. And, with 6 kids at home, it’s not something
I get much of. That’s not a problem for me. I just enjoy the snippets of quiet time
I do get. But, I thought this trip to
Las Vegas was a great opportunity for a mini-retreat.
So, today, I have been alone in a hotel room all day. And, today is Shabbat. So, I’m not going to do normal, everyday
things. I’m not going to watch movies or do paperwork or go shopping (that’s another thing I don’t
really like, anyway) or do an hour on the elliptical. It’s a day to rest and
spend time with our Creator. And, today
it’s just Him and me. I started by
sleeping until almost 10:00, since it is a day of rest. I think that’s the 2nd time I’ve
done that in the last 20 years, so that was a treat. I read the Bible. I
practiced praise dancing, since this room has a little 6x6 foot square just big
enough for one dancer. And, I watched a teaching that I had on my to-do list
for weeks, but hadn’t gotten around to watching.
Ironically, this teaching was about communion. Not about taking
communion. Not about eating the bread
and drinking the wine. But, about having communion with God. About
regularly setting aside time to have communion with Him. Why is that ironic? Because watching the teaching has been on my to-do
list for weeks and I can see that my time of communion is often put on the back
burner just like that teaching.
To think that He’s there ready and willing to meet with us
whenever we want and we put Him on the back burner! In our busy lives, we have too many things
that take priority over Him. And, often, when we do spend time with Him, it’s
in a rushed, distracted sort of way. We
combine time with Him with other things.
And, I realized that I need to change that. I need to get back to time of communion with
Him.
I’ve been through a long season - 20
years of baby/toddler in the house. It was a blessed season, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. But, that’s
a whole different life and it’s hard to find time for communion when you’re
living in that season. (It's also hard to find time to take a shower or even go to the bathroom by yourself, but that's a whole different subject.:)) I’m not making
excuses or saying that making communion a low priority is OK when you have little
ones. I’m just saying that it’s much harder in that season of life. That’s
reality. And, for me, that season was much longer than for most people I know.
So, here I am with my baby 4 ½. I can easily set aside a time each day for
communion. And, I need to do that. I’m off to a good start with my mini retreat here
today. (I should do this more often, actually. But, that’s a different topic.) I’ve
spent most of the day in communion. And,
I have a chance to be still and know that He is God. I don’t often get that chance, because even
when I’m still, the kids around me aren’t. J
So, He has to talk louder so I can hear Him.
But, I’m ready to listen. And, I’m
ready to make communion a higher priority in my daily life.
