That was me thanking my twelve year old daughter, Ember, for voluntarily bringing me coffee this morning. I asked her if she wanted to exercise with me and she agreed. I enjoyed all 14 minutes of it with her! I also had a few minutes with my Juju Pooh, who was upset at me for telling her I don’t want her borrowing anything from her friends. I taught her the important lesson my mother taught me when I was her age: “What you don’t have, do without.” And still, this advice of learning to be content in whatever situation I find myself, is working for me. My sons always give me a hard time with eating and they kept coming to me while we exercised to show me their plates, asking if they had ate enough and I kept sending them back to eat more.
I think I enjoyed this time with them a little bit more than I usually would after my appointment with God yesterday. It was reading a book called ‘Intimacy with the Almighty’ by Charles R. Swindoll, and a chapter entitled: “Simplicity: Reordering Our Lives.” It started,
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me;” (Rev. 3:20) This is the Lord’s great invitation to intimacy; to be alone with Him, to enjoy the pleasure of His company over a meal that nourishes both heart and soul.
But can we hear His knocking? Can we hear His voice over the clamor and chaos that all too often fragments our lives?”
I’m pretty good now about my appointments with God, but the chapter asked some important questions:
“Are too many things draining your energy, leaving you exhausted—even resentful? What will your family remember twenty or thirty years from now—a blur of overtiredness, and hurryhurryhurry? Or warm relationships, laughter hugs, and long, quiet walks and talks?”
Here’s the deal:
Let’s work on decluttering and simplify our lives, making space for what’s truly important. As I read that chapter, that was exactly how I felt, overtired. How can we simplify our lives a little bit more so we don’t feel like our life is becoming a blur? Something to think about!
God,
Help us to simplify our lives and make space for what truly matters, especially an intimate relationship with You.
Amen.
WE ROLL WITH GOD