It's here. The annual camping weekend for Paul and the boys. Every year they go the last weekend in April because it is the opening season of trout fishing. Usually, I look so forward to it because it is the one weekend that Shelby and I get to spend the weekend together. Well, this year the church had a special trip planned. It's called Acquire the Fire, and she probably won't get another chance to ever go. For those of you who are not familiar with ATF, it is a super energized event with many speakers, worship, and many of the top Christian Music artists. I encouraged her to go. It is a great opportunity for any teen. Anyway, I was a little bummed about being by myself. Then I started thinking of all the things I could get done. I even started a list the length of my arm long. Apparently, my body had other plans. I woke up this morning and was so sore I could hardly get out of bed. My arthritis has been flaring for the last two weeks, and I am still struggling physically. So that put my list on hold. I thought to myself, now what. It is so beautiful and even if I can't be in the sun, I don't want to waste this precious time. Then I started thinking about Dustin's graduation, Prom, moving, and Dustin leaving in June. There was so much to be done. Lord, how was I going to get it all done in time. I suddenly felt overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious. As He always does, my answer came has I was texting my daughter. She said, "Mom, don't over do it." I started thinking, and she was right. I always overdo it. The old me would have gone from the time everyone left to the time they all came back to get it all done. Then I would have spent three days trying to recover. Unfortunately, my body can not do that anymore. I do not recover like I used to and usually end up sick and worse then I was before I got started.
I looked at my list to figure out the things that had to be done right away and the things that could wait. I noticed that there were three things missing. Prayer, time in the Word, and meditation. In my quest to be productive, I seemed to have missed an even bigger and more important opportunity. I seemed to have missed the thought that this was a perfect weekend to work on my relationship with God. In all of my busy-ness, I almost missed the best opportunity to possibly hear some of the answers to the prayers I had been praying. I immediately set my list to the side and started a new list. The first three things on it were prayer, reading my Bible, and meditate. After I finished my list, I looked at it and was overcome with a more peaceful and calm feeling. I almost instantly opened up my Bible and decided that wherever it opened I would start reading. The result: Psalm 94:19 "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." Okay, lesson received. I had forgotten that God's love and loyalty will help me make sure everything falls in place and gets done. My lapse in memory led to my anxiety.
I am sure that this weekend will lead to alot of "Aha" moments. Some good, some bad. But at least I took the time to slow down and receive His messages. In such a fast paced world, we need to slow down and take time for our families, ourselves, and our Lord. Sure you can get the latest Bible study app for your phone, or attend a weekly Bible study. Those are fine and great tools for staying in touch with God. Church on Sunday is also a wonderful time to gather and take time to praise God. But what about the one on one, quality time with God. Whether it is once a day or once a week, we need time to seek, praise, and listen. You might be surprised at the results. You might not get anything out of it. One thing is for sure, you won't know if you don't try. Much love and many blessings.
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