I doubt I’m alone in occasionally feeling like a mouse on a wheel, running as fast as I can but getting nowhere.
Some nights I fall into bed exhausted with my mind still spinning. How will I get everything done? When will I find time to do it all? When futility peaks, I often realize what’s missing: time alone with God. So I draw away from everything. I slow down and listen to the quiet with God in its midst as He instructs us to do through the psalmist.
As I close my eyes, the tension slowly drains. Shoulders fall, breathing slows, and muscles relax. I lose sight of the stacks of work that cry for my attention. I no longer hear the phone’s rings and pings. The whirling world of obligations fades as I welcome God’s peace.
And I wonder why I keep forgetting to place God first. Why do I become so intent on my plans and my purposes that I fail to give God control? When will I learn to listen, whether through God’s written Word or the Holy Spirit’s gentle whisper?
The following poem came from one such experience.
No e-mail, no IM, no games.
No texting, no TV, no tweets.
No talk, no travel, no phone.
No sports, no music, no books.
No visits, no shopping, no plans.
Just stillness
and quiet
and calm.
Now I hear you, God.
Rather than asking where it all ends, why not ask where it all begins. Close your eyes and mind to the world around you. Allow God to transport you into sacred realms prepared especially for you.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Diana Derringer is author of Beyond Bethlehem and Calvary: 12 Dramas for Christmas, Easter, and More! She writes for several publications and enjoys traveling with her husband and serving as a friendship family to international university students. She offers life lessons from English expressions at dianaderringer.com.