The Things That Suffer

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth . . . I have moved . . . we're finally in the house. It may not be organized, but at least we're in. Pictures to follow once we're all unpacked.

In the midst of the packing and the moving and extremely long days . . . getting up before seven and going to sleep around 2:00 a.m. . . . a lot of things suffer. We ate fast food more times last week than I usually do all year, working out was far from a priority, blogging didn't happen, laundry didn't get done, groceries didn't get bought, and our routine was completely shot. But one thing that suffered that absolutely shouldn't have was my quiet time. I read snatches of scripture here and there, and there were quick prayers between moving from house to another . . . mostly things like, "Lord, please help me not to lose my patience and strangle someone." Super spiritual stuff like that. But my quiet time, my few minutes alone with God didn't happen for quite a few days, and by last night I was feeling it.

It's important to understand, lest anyone think more of me they should, that my quiet times are relatively short. They don't last an hour or even half an hour. On a good day they may last twenty minutes, and on a crazy day ten (don't judge), but y'all those ten minutes are life giving. Like I said, it's not that I don't pray. I pray all the time. I've joked that I should write a book called Praying in the Bathroom because when things get stressful, I've been known to hide in the bathroom and pray. Can I get an "amen" from all my fellow moms and teachers. I also read scriptures throughout the day. Mostly, because I get about five different "daily scriptures" emailed to me. But there is something about taking a few dedicated minutes to just read a passage of scripture (notice I didn't say a chapter . . . it depends on the day . . . ) and talking to and spending time with God. It helps to set the precedent for the rest of the day. It helps to remind me Who it is I belong to.

I used to think quiet time was something we do because we are supposed to spend so many minutes everyday talking to God. As if He needed us to do it. I've finally realized that it's something we do for us as much as for Him (can you say dense much?). It's communication with our Creator. It's Him breathing life into us moment by moment. It's Him guiding us and teaching us. Is it possible to do this in snatches of scripture and quickly breathed prayers? I'm sure it is. God meets us where we are, but for me, at least, I need just a few quiet minutes before the craziness of life begins. Because there are some things that absolutely shouldn't suffer.