Communion

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 2^nd 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.

http://vimeo.com/40825903

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.