What a beautiful picture this scripture puts into my heart. Going into a room….into the quiet…the stillness…the peacefulness.  Moments or hours alone with the Lord, sending praise up to Him, given glory to His name and pouring out the joys and sorrows deep within our hearts. What a precious, sweet time that is….

I know. If you have a little blessing or two or seven running around your house, climbing on you right at this very moment, or…hmmm, I’ll wait while you go find where you 3 year  old is and what she did with the Sharpie.

I understand completely how difficult it can be to find a quiet place to have that time with the Lord. For me, some days it is an accomplishment to have bathroom privileges without a buddy. How will I manage to go into my room and join the Father in the secret place for an hour, 15 min or even 5?

Here is the truth. And I’m not sure how it will hit you, but it hit me hard. I heard the truth come out of my own mouth as I was talking to my children. Guess what I told them? I can’t remember what brought about the conversation, but someone hadn’t completed a task and gave the reasoning that he/she just didn’t have time.  My words of great motherly wisdom? If it was an activity that you truly wanted to do, you would have found the time. If it were a book you wanted to read, you would find the time. If you wanted to create notecards, you would have found the time. In the same way you could find the time to ……

Did you hear that? It was the 2×4 lovingly, encouragingly hitting on the back of the head. If I truly desired to seek the face of the Lord, if I truly desired to lift up praise and thanksgiving to His Name, if I truly desired to fall on my knees and cry out to the Lord for the salvation of my children and the forgiveness of my transgressions, I would make the time. It is that important, is it not?

I make the time to blog. I make the time to sit up until 2am reading a book of no eternal value. I make time to sit and drink my daily dose of Dr. Pepper. I make time to update my Facebook status. I make time for all these shallow, temporal things and can’t find 5 minutes behind a closed door with the Lord? Oh, Father forgive me for me blindness. Laziness. Forgive me for being satisfied with the stale and shallow.

I need to make meeting the Father in a secret place of top importance. Will I not become a better wife and a better mother because I have become a faithful daughter of my heavenly Father?

Will it always be easy? No. And how much more will I treasure that time when it was harder to come by. How will I find that time with seven children? Maybe I will rise up early and in the stillness of the morning, seek a quiet place to meet with the Lord. Maybe I’ll let my shower time  take an extra 10 minutes to hide behind that door. I am blessed with older children who can handle things while I step away for 15 minutes…or 30…. I have a husband, who if I just tell him that I haven’t had time to pray behind the door today that he will tell me to run, right then while he watches over the children.

If it was important to me, I would find a way, wouldn’t I? If it was important, I wouldn’t let anyone come between that precious time. I’d find a room, a couch, a corner to have a moment “behind the door” and meet the Father in that secret place. I encourage you to do the same.

But when it does happen, I’m so thankful to catch it.

Quiet and still all at the same time. Priceless.

Doesn't that look cold?

And there are days when I allow myself to get really stressed out about all I’m not getting done.

Snow Swimming...the newest Olympic event

Those days I am so thankful for a husband who helps me remember that most of the items on my to do list are not eternal.

Snow Angel

So maybe I don’t get the kitchen floor scrubbed with a toothbrush. And the laundry didn’t all get folded. There is still toothpaste on the mirror.

Together

Nothing is more important than conversations shared while making bread, a quiet time together sharing a love of reading, quiet interrupted by fingers learning to play hymns on the piano and mighty yells as snowballs hit me again. And again.

The Walk Home

God has called me to be a mom to these amazing children. I am blessed.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Hear, O Isarael: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God wtih all your heart and with all your sould and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

The bigger kiddos have gone with their daddy to prayer meeting. I am stayed behind with the little ones who need a bit of extra sleep. They are sleeping at this very moment.

We are house sitting for friends this week. Since we are in a “strange” house and her room buddies are not here, I grabbed a pillow and blanket so Sarah could snooze on the couch this evening. (I’ll move her to bed later.) She was cuddled up on one end of the couch and I was nursing Sam to sleep on the other end. Every now and then she would look at me and smile, I’d tell her I love you and I watched her eyes getting heavier and heavier.

In a moment she was asleep. I watched her for a bit. Still and quiet. Those two words are not often associated with Sarah.

Before I know it, I hear Sam’s little snores. He has fallen asleep as well. I hold him a bit longer. Yes, I know. I spoil my babies. I’m ok with that. I love to cuddle them to sleep. The time can pass so quickly. I want to savor those sweet baby smells and sounds.

Sam is now in his bed. Sarah is beside me on the couch. I have a kitchen that needs to be cleaned. My clean up crew was running behind and had to dash out before we were done. But I want to enjoy the stillness, the quiet just a bit longer.

Thank you, Father, for this moment. For reminding me to take time to be quiet. To be still and know that You are God. Father, I thank you for this moment to remember how You have blessed me beyond measure. Amen.