My Own Worst Saboteur

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?