This week, I'm going to shift directions - just a little.
Our topic? SABOTAGE.
Specifically? SABOTAGE-ing our LINGER time. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies when it comes to LINGER-ing with our Father. Our deep desire is to pause from the everydayness of our lives to answer God's invitation to LINGER. But can we? Our families require our homemaking skills. Our communities beckon for more and more volunteers. Our careers demand our attention. Our churches appeal to our spiritual gifting. All of these are important; all are worth our time. But what about God?
In the midst of our everyday flurry, our Lord eagerly, yet patiently, awaits our attention. And we yearn for one-on-one moments with Him. More than moments, our hearts are desperate for hours with Him. LINGER reasons with the logic of do and do until in concedes to what needs doing. And again, we are left with our unfulfilled longing for more of Him.
We have once again sabotaged our desire. Yet, He relentlessly continues His pursuit of us. Why? He created us with a bond of eternal proportion. It's not about the here and now - not completely. It's really about then - Eternity.
I have to tell you, I love fairytales. Most specifically, I LOVE the story of Cinderella. I LOVE the happy ending. And I love the romance of it all. However, as I've grown older, I've delved more deeply into the story - in segments - to find the allegory of Christian women today. And I believe I found it.
Cinderella sabotaged her happy ending. Sure, all ended well, however, it could have ended well much more quickly. Cinderella didn't feel worthy of the Prince's forever love - A fairytale paradigm of the present. Cinderella spent only as much time with her prince as was allowed. And then... whoosh! Back to real life. Back to the do-and-do of real life - without her prince. It was only for a moment after all. Just a taste. Not forever.
But back to the ball... Oh how she danced! Free in the arms of her prince. All was well, except the caveat of the clock ticking the hours to minutes, minutes to seconds. Her enjoyment of the ball was immense, yet with the conscious threat of leaving growing closer with each waltz, how much of the prince's attention did she miss?
What do we miss during our times with the Lord when our minds periodically fixate on the do-and-do of our day? Yes, we are enjoying the presence of God. But can it be fuller, richer. Are we missing anything at all - the slightest thing?
Do we sabotage our own time with our Lord? Do I? Do you?
Will you discuss your own experiences of SABOTAGE, as it relates to your LINGER time with the Father?
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7 comments:
When I don't pick up my Bible to read, I sabotage the peace that comes through meditating on God's word. Sometimes at the close of the evening, I realize I forfeited time with the Savior that could have resulted in a better day, a more contented spirit, and a heart overflowing with joy.
What a great allegory, Sharen. What young woman doesn't long to be Cinderella?
Imagine if we skipped an hour of TV, Facebook or talking on the phone and just spent it with Him. What if we simply committed to adding an extra dose of Him into each day?
Sleeping in instead of getting up early on busy days. That's one. Another way I sabotage my lingering time is when I am in the middle of sitting with the Lord and I think of something and I assign the label URGENT to it. I find myself hurrying up to finish God time, so I can accomplish the URGENT. Silly, but definitely sabotage.
I love this blog, Sharen.
Dwan... AMEN to that! We do need HIS Word or truly, we sabotage our walk. I'm an avid listener of KSBJ in Houston, and look what they are offering to help us. The New Testament in 40 days, 28 minutes a day. Suddenly the mundane can be filled with the Word. And it's free.
http://ksbj.org/features_details.php?Id=179
Jan... Good question. Refer to above link :-)
Robbie... OH MY GOSH, YES! Not silly - very real. I can relate to this, very much. I do the same thing. I wonder...
How can we avoid this?
Anyone?
I certainly sabotage myself at times when I let distractions keep me from praying longer or keep me from reading more of my Bible. It's so frustrating and yet sometimes I just can't seem to focus on the Word and I miss His soft still voice talking to me. My prayer is that I'll learn to silence do-and-do thoughts and just sit with my Father and listen.
Sharen, so beautifully drawn: Yes, I want to dance endlessly with My Prince. Thank you for this, it spoke to my heart.
Sharon... Thank you for visiting :-) first of all. And your prayer to learn to silence the do-and-do in exchange for LINGER time with the Father is vital. We need to pray for God's provision for more "visible" opportunity when we are focus-challenged. Maybe we have more LINGER time than we know, but our "sight" of it is unclear.
Lord, Will You clear our vision?
Candace... Thank you for visiting too. AND the Twitter directing new friends. :-) I, like you, have a deep desire to dance eternally with my Prince. One day...
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