Shared in Our Walk as Women
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Disclaimer - Please know that I am still in the midst of learning and growing, and expect that I will continue as such. If you have anything to add or share, I do hope you'll take the opportunity to do so through the comment section at the end of each entry!
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby" 1 Peter 2:2 If we truly want to be women who live according to God's plan, we have to make time to get into the Word and find out what it is He wants us to be doing. We need to not only know about Him... but learn to know Him, personally. He is the same God today, as He was at the beginning of time. He changes not. Tomorrow, He will still be Who is was yesterday. Therein lies our security! Isn't He beautiful!? So many of us, though, feel "bogged down" with our daily roles and tasks. We wonder, "Where Lord? Where is there time to just sit at Your feet?" In "Life Management for Busy Women" by Elizabeth George, she notes: "... At the dreaded sound of the alarm (or of a crying baby!), we are so often tempted to emote, 'Oh no! Another day! I have so much to do!' The blare coming from your clock reminds you (once again!) that you are faced with a life full of responsibilities. And if we look a little deeper into our hearts, we also find thoughts like these -- 'I'll never get it all done... especially if I take time out of my hectic schedule to read my Bible and pray!' But, dear one, the exact opposite is true for you and me as God's busy women, for it was our Lord Himself who said, 'Without Me, you can do nothing' (John 15:5)" In my last entry in this series, I noted some practical ways to "find room" in your day by first creating some "order". If you have created a realistic schedule that is sufficient for your present needs, you should be able to see some "open time slots". Choose one, if you haven't already, for your time with the Lord. This should be a time when there is relative quiet so you can think and concentrate on what you are reading. If you are answering the phone, or finding that the children are causing you to need to intervene on their behalf quite often, find another time period. Some women find that mornings are the absolute best. They set their alarms at least a half hour before they expect their children to arise for the day, and enjoy that peaceful time communing with God. It starts the day right! They have the energy and focus that helps them to avoid temptations such as impatience and ill will. Other women have been up all night with small children or otherwise must locate another period of time. For them, sitting with their Bibles in the afternoon, when the children are napping, works well. I, personally, find my best time to be in the late evenings after all of the youngsters are in bed for the night. What time you choose is not as important as scheduling time, period. Now, what does time with God "look like"? Again, this depends on your own interests and needs. Your "quiet time" might look very different than another woman's. Some things you might ask yourself are:
Every Christian should have time in their day for reading the Bible. But it is also important to have time in prayer. This can be especially challenging as women, as we often have various (unexpected and unavoidable!) interruptions! A "solid" block of time with God can be difficult to come by, and that's what focused prayer requires. But, I cannot stress enough how vital this is! Or, how much of a blessing it can be for you, too! Throughout the day, you should "talk" to God. Breathe a prayer every time someone in need (or someone you simply care about!) comes to mind. As you do your cleaning, teaching, training and other tasks, thank God for His blessings, and ask Him for aid when you need it. He is even willing to help you locate that missing set of keys your husband is frantic to find. Nothing is too big... or to small... to speak to Him about! He loves it when we think to pause and bless him for that sunshine he's given us, today! Create a "running list" of prayer points. This has helped me tremendously. I used to go "into my prayer closet" and wonder what to pray about. I felt like I was "done praying" after only a couple minutes. Or, my mind would wander. Stay focused, and don't miss a thing! On a piece of paper, brainstorm. First, write down every single blessing you can think of. What are you thankful for? List anything! We must try to go to God with something other than only a "shopping list" of requests! And it helps, too, for us to realize all that the Lord has given us that we don't deserve. We're reminded of His goodness and love. Secondly, write down every individual in your life, that you can think of. Your extended family, your immediate family, your friends, church family, acquaintances... Now, group them. You can either group them according to need ("salvation", for example) or by "status" in the family. For example, "Husband", "Children", "grandparents", "aunts", "siblings", "neighbors"... Don't leave anyone out. Now, brainstorm according to need. Do you know anyone who has been requesting prayer, lately? Perhaps you know of a neighbor that is presently going through a crises? Lastly, remember yourself. List your own personal prayers and failings. What areas are you wrestling in, lately? Do you wish to develop a closer relationship with God? Include that, too! Finally, it is time to organize your list and write it neatly on paper. In the past, I have used a small "journal" type book to keep my prayer lists. Each page was dedicated to a different prayer "focus", leaving room/blank pages between each so I could add to it, as time went on. Somehow there was always someone, too, I forgot to list, initially. This made things a breeze. I could simply jot the name/request down as it came to mind. I have also used the computer to write up my organized list in a tiny font and several columns. This has allowed me to have a complete personal prayer list small enough to tuck into my Bible! No matter where I am when I'm "on the go", I have that list with me! "But my list is enormous, now!" you might be protesting. "Before, I didn't know what to pray for, or who... and now I have too many things to pray about!" This is true. At first, I also felt overwhelmed. But a dear friend of mine suggested something that works wonderfully! She told me what she does is breaks up her entire prayer list into seven segments. One for each day of the week. I think you'll find that this is a solution for you, too! It's helped me so much! The more time you spend with God, the closer He will feel to you. And, when you're faced with temptations and challeges you will more naturally fall into His arms. He will lead you and guide you and you will more easily hear His "still, small voice" even through the din that surrounds you. This is so important, sisters! Without God, we can do nothing! But, with Him, He promises we can do everything! Making time to draw close to the Lord is the most important step in living according to His plan. Put it in "priority" in scheduling each day! If you don't make time for it, it won't happen. God bless you as you draw nigh unto Him!
RESOURCES: Some books I have been blessed by: "Life Management For Busy Women" by Elizabeth George, and "God's Whisper in a Mother's Chaos" by Kent. Some good sites for "Read Your Bible In A Year" plans:
Other Resources: If you are interested, EMAIL ME and I can put you down to receive "Still Waters Ministry"s FREE devotional booklet. It comes bi-monthly, and it is beautiful. We have been receiving this for several years, at our house, and have truly been blessed by it. Each day focuses on a Scripture and a devotion. And each page also contains a "Bible Reading in a Year" plan (each day, leaves you with your new reading for that day). It's put out by the Cedar Springs Amish/Mennonite Church. They offer free sermon and music tapes and CDs too, which are wonderful.
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