Practicing The Presence

My little Sweet Pea

The days just fly on by, don't they? Wow, I can't believe how fast the last 7 weeks with Elianna Ray have gone by. It makes me want to press the pause button to enjoy it a little bit longer. I don't want life to go by in a blur. The purpose of life is not tackling our to do lists and ending the day with a clean counter top and an empty laundry basket, although as a housewife sometimes it feels like that. I want to savor each day and thank the Lord for every precious one of them. Grandmother reminds me, "I will rejoice in the Lord enthusiastically all the days of my life." That's the deal right there!

It's so easy to be so busy with the daily grind and miss Jesus in the midst of it all. But, where is Christ in the middle of all my wiping noses and bottoms, teaching school, doing dishes and laundry and housework, and errands? How often I forget about the Lord walking alongside me when I'm checking the kids' chores, or supervising piano practice, or managing schoolwork, or grocery shopping, and yet He is present just the same. He's there when I read my Bible, and during worship, and when I pray, but also when I'm writing thank you notes, and driving the kids to tennis, and sinking into a hot bath. He's here for it all. And it's not a blur for Him. I can feel Him wanting more from me... more of me.

Maybe no one else suffers from this, but when I get over-tired I'm a sucker for the enemy telling me that the Lord doesn't really love me all that much. When life goes pear-shaped I'm dead meat for that particular lie. That nasty ol' devil gets me every time with whisperings of old sins that the Lord has long since made clean that surely count me out of the grace of the Cross. And that only serves to rob me of full hearted rejoicing. Which is the point of his efforts, right?

Alright, so what does all of that mean for my daily life? The Lord calls me to abide in Him and to rejoice in Him. That means I have to slow down and practice the presence of the Lord on a daily basis. I must also have the wherewithal to recognize the lies and distractions of the enemy and consciously tune him out. God's challenge to me while I'm raising my babies is to love them with all my heart, and teach them the love of Jesus. His exhortation is to desire Him more, to carry on a running conversation with Him throughout the day, to not let life go by in a whir of nothings. Those are my prayers today. I want to abide in Christ, and make each day matter. I want to be pliable and conscious of His voice. Change my heart, oh Lord!

I want to be like my grandmother, Anne Ortlund, reaching the sunset of life having chosen to rejoice in the Lord enthusiastically all the way through. So, with that in mind, as the days zing by without a pause button in sight, I want to spend them praising the Father for all His good and perfect gifts! Amen!