Friday, March 23, 2007

Past Morning Thoughts.....

I found this old post on my ChristianMoms board that I had posted several months ago. I decided to share it over on this board. I needed the reminder.

Blessings,
Debbie


Morning Thoughts….

I noticed this morning when I looked out the kitchen window that a fog or mist was thick over our pond. Dreamlike in quality, the mist looked soft and inviting. It lingered there for a couple of hours and that fog got me to thinking. I am sure that most of you remember in this quote from Silas Marner describing what happened to Dunstan after he stole Marner’s money.

“The rain and darkness had got thicker, and he was glad of it; though it was awkward walking with both hands filled, so that it was as much as he could do to grasp his whip along with one of the bags. But when he had gone a yard or two he might take his time. So he stepped forward into the darkness.”

That quote came to me as I was looking out toward the pond. Unable to see the water, I wondered is this is how Christians get lost in their walk with God? Do we, at times, walk around in a fog, darkness, or mist? My thoughts were beginning to spin inside my brain. If I didn’t know there was a pond at the edge of my yard, I could easily step into the water. However, this pond doesn’t have an immediate drop off, so most likely I could quickly back up and get out of the water. I would be muddy, wet and messy but not lost. However, if the pond was deep, I could suffer a different fate entirely.

These reflections have remained with me this morning as I began to think on my walk with Christ. Often, I have prayed for God to show or light my next step. However, I wonder, have I taken the light with me or have my hands, mind and heart been too full of the vanishing possessions and imaginings of this world to carry the light. If Dunstan’s hands had not been occupied with those precious leather bags, he might have carried a light along with him and prevented his step into darkness. But, Dunstan was after worldly wealth that did not belong to him and his actions proved fatal.

Do we get so involved with going after the things of this world, that we are too occupied to take the light of Christ with us? While, we may not step forward into a perceived darkness, we do walk into a spiritual darkness and sadly do not recognize that we have left our first love because of the leather bags we are carrying. Satan loves to distract God’s children from the calling of God. He wants to get us so enamored by the world that we step into darkness. Dunstan, in his rush to get out of Silas’ home, closed the door which cut off the only light that could have guided his steps.

How often when facing a busy, hectic day, do we decide to cut our prayer time in half or not read the scripture that morning? Surely, God will understand that we are just too busy to seek His face and counsel? He loves us and will forgive us neglecting Him. And, it’s true that God loves us. We know this by his sacrifice. But, we seem to miss that God saved us for Himself. He wants our fellowship but we need His fellowship. Martin Luther once commented that when he had a busy day, his prayer time with God increased by an hour each morning. He was wise enough to know that when we are busy that our time with the Father needs to increase not decrease.


Practically, how do we keep our time with God a priority in our lives? The objective is to make our time with God a desire and not an obligation. If we will continue in prayer and study, even when our eyes do not see the results for which we are hoping, there will come a time when our solitude with the Father becomes a longing in our lives. We will begin to crave His fellowship and not just need His provision and direction.

I adore my children. They will come to me asking permission, asking advice, or asking for something they need or desire. Being a good mother, I try to respond to them. However, I love it when my children come and sit with me, just to visit and to talk about their day, their friends, or something they have newly discovered. Those times with my children bless me immensely.

The Father wants us to spend time with Him just like we want our children to spend time with us. And, when we fellowship with the Father, the resulting outcome is miraculous. We no longer have to stumble around in a mist of doubt and confusion. He will light each step that we take and order our days to His fulfill His perfect design.

Our tasks as women, mothers, and wives are too immense and important to go it alone or to stumble through it. The people that God has placed in our lives deserve to be guided and loved by women whose hearts and minds are fully fixed upon God. Dreams are fun. But, dreams without vision and purpose to accomplish the calling of God in ours lives and families are fruitless and vain. In order for us to direct our families through the fog and darkness that fills this earth, we must carry the Light that is daily charged and shining bright. We must seek first the kingdom of God.

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