Searching For Quiet Moments
When our lives are in crisis it is natural for us to draw closer to God, to lean upon Him, to read his word, and to depend on Him for our strength. If we’re in a “stormy” period of our lives, however, where the trials are long and enduring, when our lives feel busy, chaotic, and like we can’t catch a break this often fades away. The stress, turmoil, and hardship spread over months makes it easy for prayer, Bible reading, and dependance on God to slip to the background.
The past several months have been difficult and filled with trials. Dealing with the deployment, several rounds of illness (the last being a vicious cold/flu bug), the difficulty of living with family members after 6 years of being 2,000 miles away, playing single mom to my two little ones, and several moves have left me stressed and exhausted. After a particularly trying day I found myself crying out to God and wondering why I was having such a hard time with all of this. In that still small voice He uses to talk to us I was reminded that I had been trying to do it all myself. In the insanity and exhaustion I’d been giving up prayer and Bible reading–the two things that would be enabling me to deal with this chaos. It always seems like I find these life lines the easiest things to get knocked off my list.
As I was thinking about this I was reminded of Jesus. When he got over tired and overwhelmed during his earthly ministry he would draw away, find a quiet moment and place to spend in prayer to refocus and gain strength. If Jesus found this necessary why is it that I seem to think I can make it without it?!
As a mommy of two, especially now that we’re living with another family of 3, quiet, private moments are indeed hard to come by. I have decided if I’m going to make it through this deployment, however, I need to search for them. I decided that by getting up just a little earlier than my children I can go sneak off and have my devotions while everyone is asleep. Though I’m not a morning person I know that the 15 minutes of missed sleep will be more than made up for in the peace of mind and strength I will gain! I encourage you to seek out quiet moments to regain your strength as well!
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