Pit of Despair

If a friend has fallen into the ‘Pit of Despair’—what should one do to help? My first instinct is to go down into the Pit, to sit and listen, to acknowledge her pain, and to try to comfort her. I offer words and gifts that I hope will be soothing—tissues, food, chocolate, scripture verses, books; I know how therapeutic it is to feel cared for in times of grief, because I have been in the Pit myself—and good friends came to me, ministered to me, and nourished me until I regained enough strength to climb out.

What they didn’t do was help me decorate my ‘Pit’—they didn’t bring throw pillows that encouraged me to make a nest and stay in this Pit indefinitely. Instead of cushions, my friends brought me a ladder. They nurtured me at the peak of my pain and then supported me while I learned to climb up and out of my depression.

So, when I am ministering to those in despair, I have learned to bring ladders rather than cushions. It is natural for a grieving person to have a skewed perception of reality—to wallow in guilt, blame others, rail against the injustice, and feel hopeless about the future. However, it is important not to encourage those in despair to fall into the traps of deceptive thinking. This just digs a deeper hole. Instead, offer words and counsel that strengthen and bring clarity—ladders that empower them to climb out of the darkness into the light. 

I AM

The Hebrew name for God, ‘Yahweh’—is derived from the letters YHVH—which comes from Exodus 3:14, where God refers to himself as “I AM”.

All through the scriptures, God describes who He is:

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.” (Isaiah 48:17 NIV)

God is in charge of teaching, directing, saving, fixing, refining, guiding, counseling, battling, defending, planning, organizing…which means--I am NOT.

I am not in charge; I am not in charge of determining the best course for my life, let alone, everybody else’s lives. I don’t have the power to fix anybody or any situation. God alone has the power, wisdom, and love to manage everything. I need to follow while God leads. The best thing I can do is to imitate Christ as much as possible. I shall draw from the well of unlimited grace, using the Holy Spirit as my pulley, prayer as my bucket, and scripture as my rope. I shall quench my thirst and remain satisfied, while I wait upon my Lord’s next move.

“Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. ‘Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?’” (Matt. 16:24-26 MSG) 

Obedience Training

My dog went to obedience classes as a puppy. She is a smart dog and follows directions well, especially if they are followed by a reward. She will perform a variety of tricks for treats. However, she never learned to ‘heel’—walk properly by our side, especially outdoors. When she is outside, she has her own agenda and rarely pays attention to our instructions. The sights and smells overtake her senses, and she follows her instincts rather than our instructions. Even though she is on a leash, she will pull, tug, run ahead, or get sidetracked easily. We rarely let her off-leash, because she is likely to run off and get hit by a car or chase a rabbit into the woods and get lost. Our intelligent, obedient, loyal, well-trained dog acts like a senseless animal in certain environments. Basically, she obeys when she feels like it. When we are hiking, she always wants to lead. She gets really upset if any member of the family walks ahead of her. It’s as if she gets to decide which path we should take!  

“I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.” (Ps. 32 8-9 MSG)

I think I’m disciplined. Yet, I’m like a dog who hasn’t been trained to be off-leash. I might walk by God’s side for a few minutes, but then run off as soon as I see something interesting. Sometimes I act like I’m guiding God, rather than the other way around. How often I act like a senseless animal--following my own agenda, acting as if I get to choose the path, chasing after dangerous distractions, obeying only when it suits me!

Lord, train me to obey you and follow your instructions precisely and consistently. May I never defy You but always affirm You. Teach me discipline. Train me according to your purpose. 

Swampland in Florida

For the last few decades, there has been a recurring scam in which con men try to sell worthless swampland to gullible buyers. Usually, the potential customers are not familiar with the area and thus fall for the false advertising that touts the development potential of these plots. Over the years, this common scam has led to the figure of speech: “If you believe that, then I have some swampland in Florida to sell you.”

I’ve encountered hucksters trying to sell ‘swampland’ in other areas of life: Religious movements, business schemes, fraudulent charities, and friends and relatives with agendas, to name a few. Sometimes the perpetrators of these scams are, themselves, duped into believing that they represent something of value. I have met people who seem to be passionately convinced that some new product, pseudo-spiritual New Age movement, prosperity theology, or get-rich scheme is the answer to what ails the world. If these individuals are influential, they can easily convince others that these swamplands are buildable. Christianity has had its share of misrepresentations. Abusing God’s name for individual gain is nothing new.

“State securities regulators charge that in the past 3 years, scams in 27 states used the name of God to rip off $1.9 billion. By comparison, for the 5 years ended in 1989, they say $450 million was lost to religious-based scams.” http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/general/2001-08-08-scams.htm

“You can’t find firm footing in a swamp, but life rooted in God stands firm.” (Prov. 12:3 MSG) 

How can we tell apart swampland from the firm land of God? Well, if you are sinking further into depravity, if whatever you are building is unstable, if your lifestyle is unsustainable, if your choices are damaging yourself or others, if it emphasizes short-term gain over long-range growth—well, then it’s probably swampland.  

Standing in The Gap

“In the book of Ezekiel God said, "I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one" (Ezekiel 22:30). The gap He is talking about is between God and man, and a person who stands in the gap is the one who prays. A gap was also a place in the protective wall around a field or a city that had been broken down and needed repair. Our prayers can help to repair the breech in that wall of protection. (The Power of Praying for your Adult Children, by Stormie Omartian)

The same day I read the above excerpt, a dear friend reminded me about the importance of ‘standing in the gap’ for others. When I come across an obscure phrase like this, twice in one day, I know it’s time to pay attention.

What and where are the gaps, the breeches in the protective wall that are broken down and need repair? Where can the enemy infiltrate?

As I look around my community, I notice lots of breeches--gaps in faith and trust, compulsive materialism, obsessive ambition, shaky marriages, unstable finances, sickness, addictions, depression…

Yes, I need to pray, to intercede, for those who are not able to pray for themselves. Yet, how can I stand in the gap and advocate for others when I myself am broken?

“Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” (James 5:16 MSG)

As we admit our flaws to each other, we are able to identify with each other’s brokenness. We stand up for each other in intercessory prayer, repairing the breeches, reinforcing the walls with our faith in God, waiting expectantly to become whole and healed.

The Temptation of Power

The Temptation of Power

“You all know what the third temptation of Jesus was. It was the temptation to power. “I will give you all the kingdoms of this world in their splendor”, the devil said to Jesus…Jesus responded to the temptation of power with the words, 'You must worship the Lord your God and serve God alone.' These words remind us that only undivided attention to God can make a powerless ministry possible. As long as we divide our time and energy between God and others, we forget that service outside of God becomes self-seeking, and self-seeking service leads to manipulation, and manipulation to power games, and power games to violence, and violence to destruction. In serving God we find our true self which no longer needs social affirmations but is free to offer a powerless ministry.” (Henri Nouwen)

I’ve never faced the temptation to be a powerful world leader. Instead, the lure of power has been more subtle—I would like to have control over my life and my circumstances. I hate feeling vulnerable and powerless. I feel like I should take care of myself. This prods me to leave the fortress of God’s protection and fight to further my agenda. I put on a bullet-proof vest and go out to battle with a false sense of security. The Enemy just shoots me in the head.

“The temptations of being relevant, spectacular, and powerful are real temptations and stay with us all of our lives. They are strong because they play directly on our desire to join others on the upwardly mobile road.” (Henri Nouwen) 

Nouwen recommends that we follow Christ’s example of ‘downward mobility’—accepting that ultimately all power, control, relevance, and glory belong to God. 

The Temptation to Be Impressive

“The second temptation to which Jesus was exposed was the temptation to do something spectacular, something that would win him great applause. ‘Throw yourself from the parapet of the temple and let the angels catch you and carry you in their arms.’ (Matt. 4) But Jesus refused to be a stunt man. He did not come to prove himself. He did not come to walk on hot coals, swallow fire, or put his hand in the lion’s mouth to demonstrate that he had something worthwhile to say.” (Henri Nouwen)

Whether we are musicians, writers, intellectuals, healers, caretakers, salespeople, designers, teachers, students, dancers, chefs, artists, athletes, providers, business managers, builders, inventors, tailors, parents…we like to be admired for our talents and hard work. Most of us wouldn’t strive to do and be our best if no one were around to notice. We not only want to be useful and relevant, we want others to know and appreciate the impact that we have made. We want to do something impressive with our lives.

When my son was 4 years old, he attended a playschool. The first order of the day was ‘circle time’—where everybody sat in a circle and took turns sharing something that they thought was important. Each kid would try to outdo the other with anecdotes about his pets, siblings, or a trip he took. If anyone had new shoes, he would walk around the inside of the circle so that the other kids could admire them. As a parent helper, I was always amused by their childish attempts to impress each other.

The temptation to be admired by our peers is not much different than those little kids at circle time. Once we realize the silliness of our pursuits, we are less likely to fall for this trap. We don’t have to prove our worthiness to our fellow humans. In fact, we are all flawed. Yet, we are redeemed by our connection, our communion with God.

“Through Christ we can approach God and stand in his favor. So we brag because of our confidence that we will receive glory from God.” (Romans 5:2 GWT)

The Temptation to Be Relevant

Henri Nouwen interprets the first temptation of Christ as a compulsion to be relevant (“turn stones into loaves”) .

The temptation to stay relevant and useful is strong in today’s society. We are all encouraged to stay current and knowledgeable about the latest technology, to have careers that make a difference, to be productive, efficient, and continually evolving and up-to-date in all areas. We want our existence to matter.

For example, let’s take a common job from the 1920’s—that of a milkman--who delivered fresh milk daily to households. The role of the milkman became obsolete with the advent of pasteurization. There are still places in the U.S. where people deliver raw milk to homes. However, this job would not be considered relevant anymore.

“To be a Christian who is willing to travel with Christ on his downward road requires being willing to detach oneself constantly from any need to be relevant, and to trust ever more deeply the Word of God. Thus, we do not resist the temptation to be relevant by doing irrelevant things, but by clinging to the Word of God who is the source of all relevancy.” (Henri Nouwen)

Following Christ is not a path of ascendency to higher levels of worth, but a downward road leading to valleys of humility. We must detach ourselves from our desire to be useful, to do things that matter in the eyes of the world. This doesn’t mean we spend our time and energy doing useless things, but that we are only influenced by what matters to God. 

Temptations Revisited

I’ve written previously about the three temptations Jesus faced in the desert. The devil approaches Jesus and prods him to turn stones into bread, jump off a high place in order to test God, and finally to submit to evil in order to attain glory and power. (Matthew Chapter 4)

I had interpreted these temptations as follows: provide for yourself (be useful), prove yourself (do something important), seek glory (self-fulfillment and control).

Recently, I was reading Henry Nouwen’s interpretation of the same scripture verses:

“(Jesus) was tempted with the three compulsions of the world: to be relevant (“turn stones into loaves”), to be spectacular (“throw yourself down”), and to be powerful (“I will give you all these kingdoms”). There he affirmed God as the only source of his identity (“You must worship the Lord your God and serve him alone”).”

Nouwen’s words really made an impression on me. First of all, it confirmed my own thoughts on this subject, but fine-tuned it just enough for me to better understand these compulsions. Over the next few days, I would like to delve into these three preoccupations: the temptations to be relevant, impressive, and powerful.  

Scary Love

Love can be unnerving. At first, it feels energizing, especially if your love is reciprocated. However, soon you discover that love makes you vulnerable. Love can be draining. When you give yourself completely to another--when you hold nothing back—you can lose yourself.

I have experienced this scary love—first with my husband, then with my child…and lately…with God. It’s not a pleasant feeling. It’s frightening—to lose yourself, to give yourself completely to another. There is a part of me that wants to hold back, to look out for myself, to take care of my desires. This voice of reason reminds me that it is dangerous and stupid to make myself vulnerable. But, I find myself listening to the Voice of Love calling out to me.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from...You let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. I’m not afraid when you walk at my side…You make me feel secure. You revive my drooping head; Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.” (Ps. 23 excerpts from NLT and MSG) 

Lord…today there will be many things to do, but let me be able to look over at you throughout the day and connect—knowing that Your love is enough. 

Push Through

(Psalm Study)

“My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?” (Ps. 22:1 NLT) (Mark 15:34)

Both David and Jesus felt abandoned by the Father during times of suffering.

“He has never let you down, never looked the other way—when you were being kicked around. He has never wandered off to do his own thing; he has been right there, listening.” (Ps. 22:24 MSG)

Why would a loving Father stand by and watch while you are being ‘kicked around’—why wouldn’t He intervene right away?

I have been struggling with these questions for decades.

What if we thought of God as playing the role of a midwife (Ps. 22:9 MSG) …waiting attentively by our side, while we pushed through from our carnal nature to our spiritual nature? Birthing always involves pain and struggle. Midwives observe, instruct, and comfort during the birthing process, but, unlike obstetricians, they are rarely invasive in their assistance. 

We might feel alone. Unfortunately, the struggle is unavoidable—it’s just part of the process of being born. But, as we push through, God remains nearby—attentive, caring, encouraging, and understanding. And when we finally make our way to the other side, God is waiting eagerly to receive us. 

Junk vs. Real

What is junk? What is real? If something temporarily fills you up and gives you pleasure—but is harmful in the long run—is it still worthy? Why do most of us pursue things that add no real value to our life?

For example, junk food tastes good but has very little nutritional value. It usually originates from real food, but has been adulterated with harmful additives such as salt, sugar, fat, and preservatives. Although most of us recognize fast-food as junk, we often think that food at fancier restaurants is healthier. However, upon closer inspection these entrees usually have even more calories, fat, and sodium than your typical fast-food fare. In most instances we can tell the difference between junk food and real food. We are also aware of the health benefits of consuming one over the other. However, we lack the discipline to always make the right choice.

“After many weeks with unlimited access to junk food, the pleasure centers of rat brains became desensitized, requiring more food for pleasure. After the junk food was taken away and replaced with a healthy diet, the rats starved for two weeks instead of eating nutritious fare.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_food)

Like these rats, we become desensitized--our desire for more and more pleasure leads us to make harmful choices. We justify these choices, because others around us are doing the same thing. This is just how the world works—we say

.

STOP! Don’t spend your life craving and pursuing junk. Make good choices that add real value. 

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Phil. 4:8 NLT)

Armed and Aimed

“When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” (Luke 12:48 NLT)

I used to think this verse meant: If you’ve been blessed abundantly—then share.

Yet lately, I’ve had to rethink my earlier interpretation as I read the following verses:

“Is not this the God who armed me, then aimed me in the right direction? …He shows me how to fight;” (Ps. 18:32, 34 MSG)

What if we were to think of whatever we have been given—not as gifts, but as weapons and training--which have been specifically assigned to us for a purpose?

The U.S military equips each soldier differently according to their aptitude, training, and the military’s specific needs. A soldier might be trained to operate drones, tanks, or fighter-jets. Others might be chosen to be snipers, medics, or computer technicians. Some soldiers have access to more powerful weapons than others. However, they are not allowed to share or use their weapons indiscriminately. Those who are entrusted with powerful weapons and tools are expected to shoulder that responsibility thoughtfully. A soldier who is trained to use a powerful gun should not just ‘share’ it with a fellow soldier who is not skilled in using this firearm—an untrained person is more liable to hurt himself or others with this weapon.

If you have been assigned powerful tools, then you have a responsibility to use them properly, according to directions from above. You are not supposed to share your weapons indiscriminately—whenever and wherever you feel like it. If you have been equipped with words, skills, wealth, knowledge, talents—then you are expected to use these tools sensibly, cautiously, and purposefully. 

Productive Discomfort

“We often feel an underlying trepidation whenever we do something new, something that makes us feel exposed. So next time you feel naked, next time you feel defenseless, know that you’re simply operating from your Discomfort Zone, a place from which you’ll experience growth as long as you’re willing to sit with your vulnerability long enough to grow.” (Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus http://www.theminimalists.com/zone/)

When I’m exercising, I try to work out a bit past my comfort zone: If 20 push-ups are comfortable, I try to do 25. If running at 6 mph is comfortable, I attempt to run a bit faster for a little while. As I push myself a little each day, I build stamina and strength. Since I’m still completely in control of how far I push myself—I don’t feel vulnerable. If it starts to hurt—I can stop.

I’m not as eager to push myself in other areas where I feel defenseless. You won’t catch me jumping out of airplanes or participating in any other extreme sports. I’ve never tried sky-diving, but I’ve calculated the risk-benefit ratio and decided it’s not for me! However, unless I try new things, how will I know if it is beneficial or not? Maybe jumping out of an airplane would enable me to grow in some way?

From time to time, we are all placed in the crucible of vulnerability. We are melted before we are transformed. Growth is rarely comfortable or pleasant, so we tend to abort the process prematurely. However, if we can stay in the discomfort zone, bear the pain of vulnerability for just a bit longer—sometimes, it can be productive, strengthening, and transformative. 

ONLY

(Psalm Study)

Do you feel lost and confused? Is your life off track? Are you being bombarded with false messages? Do you feel helpless as you watch your loved ones going the wrong way? Have you been struggling to set things right, yet feeling powerless to do so?

Lord, Your brilliance drowns out all enemy talk. (Ps. 8:2 MSG)

You take over and set things right. (Ps. 9:3-4 MSG)

God turns life around. (Ps. 14:7 MSG)

Enemy Talk: These are the false messages that interfere with our ability to clearly hear from God. The other day, my husband called me from an airport and he was speaking through his Bluetooth headset. I could hardly understand what he was saying because of all the background noise. It reminded me of how, sometimes, enemy chatter scrambles my thoughts. ONLY God’s brilliance can drown out all enemy talk.

Wrong Way: What if this ‘enemy talk’ misdirects you causing you to go in the wrong direction?

ONLY God’s wisdom “will keep you from making wrong turns, or following the bad directions of those who are lost themselves…traveling paths that go nowhere, wandering in a maze of detours and dead ends.” (Proverbs 2:9-15 MSG)

Turning Life Around: We struggle to set things right—to redirect ourselves and others—to turn our lives around. At best, we make temporary changes and improvements. Nothing we say or do or read or write can redirect the lost to turn their lives around. We just don’t have that power—Unless, the Spirit of God is working through us—using us as a tool. ONLY God can turn lives around.

“Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.” (Ps. 16:11 MSG)

Love Quotes

Like many other brides, I remember picking 1 Corinthians 13 as one of the readings for my wedding service 23 years ago:

"Love never gives up; Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut...Doesn't force itself on others; Isn't always 'me first,'...Doesn't keep score...Puts up with anything; Trusts God always; Always looks for the best; Never looks back; But keeps going to the end." (1 Cor. 13:8-10 MSG)

Now, it makes me smile to think of how naïve I was back then. I really thought that my husband and I would easily be able to love each other like this verse described. Now I know how difficult it is to implement this kind of unconditional love for anyone.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable.  Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.  If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal.  Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. ” (The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis) 

Yes, love makes us vulnerable. It is messy; suffering is guaranteed. But the alternative is to become hard-hearted and cynical.

Human love is mostly conditional, based on feelings. Agape love—self-sacrificing, unconditional love—is a bit difficult to implement without a divine infusion of the Holy Spirit.

Knowing Your Audience

“If you write for God you will reach many men and bring them joy. If you write for men—you may make some money and you may give someone a little joy and you may make a noise in the world for a little while. If you write only for yourself, you can read what you yourself have written and after ten minutes you will be so disgusted you will wish that you were dead.” (New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton)

Ain’t that the truth!

One could substitute any action instead of ‘write’ in the above quote—and it would still be profound. If you--sing, dance, cook, invent, work, live--for God, your impact will be immeasurable, and your life will be a blessing to many. If you are motivated by the applause of humans, you may make some money, provide a temporary distraction to some, and bring yourself a bit of fame. If you live for your own gratification, it won’t be long before you look back on your life with disgust and regret.  

We all spend a lot of time deciding on our occupations. What shall we do; what shall occupy us during our time on earth? Maybe we should consider not only what we do, but also for whom we are doing it! 

Smothering the Flame

“No matter how close you are to Jesus, without the Holy Spirit, Jesus is still somebody outside you. He’s close beside you, but the Holy Spirit is inside you.” (Peter Kreeft) http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics/dynamite.htm

After I read the above quote, I wondered why the Spirit of God is oftentimes so weak inside me.

I thought of the candle snuffers that are still used in some Catholic churches for putting out candle flames after Mass. The flame is usually smothered by cutting off its oxygen supply. I wondered what was diverting oxygen and thus snuffing out the flame of the Holy Spirit within me?

Jesus describes the symptoms of those who suffer from this spiritual malady: They are “overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.” (Mark 4:18-19 MSG)

The Holy Spirit flame is weakened and eventually smothered by worldly concerns and ego-centered delusions. There is only so much oxygen to go around—and I have a choice on which valve to open and which one to close. I can either divert most of my energy to worldly concerns or to fostering the Spirit within me. 

Active Prayer

“Every morning, I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar.” (Ps. 5:1-3 MSG)

“Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.”  (NLT)

During our homeschooling years, my son and I spent a few hours every morning going over corrections from the day before and lessons for the day ahead. It was the best and worst part of each school day.  Most mornings, he would be groggy, grumpy, and easily distracted. Math was the worst. As I tried to explain the mistakes from the day before, he would just wait for me to work out the answer. As I taught new material for the day, he would space out frequently. I remember tapping my pencil on the desk frequently to get him to pay attention.  Now that he is in college, things have changed. He takes a much more active interest in learning.

I spend a few hours every morning in prayer and study. I lay out the pieces of my day in front of God. It’s time for corrections and new lessons. I get distracted frequently. I would rather play a passive role and let God figure it all out and actually DO whatever needs to be done too. But God insists that I pay attention and learn—He can easily solve all these problems—but that doesn’t help me learn anything.

So, I shall pray actively. I shall meticulously present each issue to Him and wait in focused attention. I shall take notes, ask questions, and listen carefully. I will especially stay alert to corrections, because mistakes point to the gaps in my knowledge and flaws in my technique. I shall practice, read, study, discuss, and collaborate with fellow students. Every time I start getting distracted—I will try to pull my attention back to the task at hand. I will no longer be passive during my prayer time. I shall get so much more out of these few morning hours if I participate in the learning process.

Clearing Space for Prayer

Prayer is focused time with God. There is no one perfect way to pray—each individual connects with God in different ways. For some, it is reading scripture; for others, it is reading poetry. Some might experience God’s presence while being out in nature, singing, gardening, writing, or just verbalizing their feelings out loud. Most of us enjoy these sweet times with the Lord on rare occasions. Why are we not regularly clearing space for time alone with God? Well…because other things get in the way. We have responsibilities, distractions, and long to-do lists.  

“The only way to install the tenant of prayer in the apartment building of your life is to evict some other tenant from those premises that prayer will occupy. Few of us have any empty rooms available.” (Peter Kreeft) http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics/lesson-one.htm

This is so true for me. I allot my best time in the early mornings for prayer. The house is quiet, my mind is alert, and my to-do list has not yet drowned out the quiet whispers of God. However, there are other free-loading tenants that have encroached on this space. I get online to type my daily verse to a friend and then spend time replying to other emails. I get on Facebook to post my daily thanksgiving and end up scrolling through other updates. I put away my computer and get back to prayer…my mind wanders. I think of someone and decide to send them a text to check on them. I will get a thought that I want to type for my blog—I get back on the computer to do so—and the distraction cycle continues. 

The solution seems obvious. Just don’t allow these squatters to occupy the space that has been carved out for prayer. I have to evict these distractions.

When my husband and I are on a date, I’m disappointed if he seems distracted. Every morning, I have a date with God, but I’m constantly paying attention to all sorts of other things. This is disrespectful, inconsiderate, and unloving.