the organizing force

Yesterday during the girls nap time I pulled out my Bible and prayer journal and My Utmost for His Highest, only to find my mind incredibly distracted by the many things that needed done, my thoughts flitting over student/sponsor letters to translate, thank you's to write, dinners to plan, groceries to order, papers, papers, papers to grade.

This semester has us juggling far more than I had ever thought possible.

With my laptop open before me and my Bible in between, I figured I would start loading pictures (they take f-o-r-e-v-e-r) while I read through 2nd Colossians.

Which of course, always requires a bit more attention than I think it will.  And didn't load quite right...and needed resized, and should come with a caption...and....

Then Lily was asking for the 20th time if nap time was over, and wanting to join me while Sofie finished sleeping.

I let Lily get up, but make sure to quickly tell her, "You have to be VERY quiet while I finish my devotional time, because you know it is very hard to stay focused on one thing, and I want to focus on God's Word right now."

With her sweet, wide blue eyes she nodded understandingly and sympathetically said, "Yeah, and it's hard to focus on God's Word when you have to do work at the same time!"

Of course, there was no trace of sarcasm in her well-intentioned observation, but it stung like sarcasm all the same.

Even my five-year old could easily see that I was working--saying I was focusing on God's Word and voice--but working on Seminary stuff at the same time.  Even my five-year old could easily say that what I was SAYING was most important to me was NOT, indeed, most important to me.

Ouch.

It took Lily to show me the heartbreak, and I'm asking Him to show me other places...places my heart is right, but my discipline is lacking to follow.  Places my desires are His, but quickness to obey looks more like a distracted crazy-lady dance.

This world is so jam packed full of distraction, worse now than ever before.  Worse for you in North America, probably, than me in Haiti.

How can the central, simple, organizing force in my life be GOD, as I want it to be, if I am living in fragmented, rushed spurts of multi-tasking?

How am I going to be God honoring in my life if I can't sit with Him for 30 UN-multi-tasked moments?

How are my children going to learn that HE IS the ONLY satisfying, ONLY meaningful, ONLY answer if what they see in me suggests that my job/work/ministry/laptop/tv/iphone/whatever is?

How is the Word of Christ going to richly dwell within me, with teaching and songs and thankfulness (Col. 3:16) when I'm too distracted to do more than throw a sprinkle at the soil of my heart?

my happy place, Shaker Village KY

The One who can help us in this day in age--help us UNdistract, help us FOCUS, help us DWELL, held us meditate on Him day and night is The Same One we want to dwell ON.   Praise the Lord, and asking Him for it, for each of us.

Live Simply, Sabbath Daily, Say No to Say Yes and Grace for Myself.

This article from Desiring God helped.