September 4, 2011

The "Soul Training" exercise for this past week in "The Good and Beautiful God" was a little bit harder for me to do on a daily basis. Compared to the first one of sleep, which if I don't do I can tell very easily, the act of sitting in silence focusing on who God is and listening to His voice is more difficult. I don't have to try to sleep, I do have to make a conscious effort to stop whatever it is that I am doing in my day and take the time to be in silence with God.
Also, with this exercise it is not relatively apparent when it doesn't happen like sleep. But I believe that it is subversively apparent. Let me explain. This past weekend has been a blur. Audrey and I left for Colorado on Thursday to officiate a wedding for the daughter of some great friends of ours. On the way down, we took a wrong turn and ended up 150 miles from our destination through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. You can't make up 150 miles very easily in the middle of the Rockies. Friday was another rushed day trying to drive through Rocky Mountain National Park and make it to the rehearsal on time. And then the wedding on Saturday.
Needless to say my alone time with God during these past few days has been non-existent. I have shared moments with God; thanking Him for keeping us safe with all the driving we did; marveling at the gorgeous mountains; seeking His blessing for the marriage ceremony. But the alone listening time just hasn't been there.
Here comes the subversively apparent aspect. I still went about my days, got things accomplished, and did what I needed to do, but there was this anxious feeling present. I wasn't tuned into the Holy Spirit as much as I could have been. My frustration with the fact that we got lost, had a massive detour, had to spend money for an extra night in a motel kind of spilled over into other areas.
I think that in the busiest times of life it is the most important to stop, be quiet, and listen to God. Looking back I believe this would have helped me just to feel more sane about the whole situation.
This morning laying in bed I was able to just "be" with God. It felt great. I wasn't rushing off to go do something, and I could just reflect with God on the past few days and see how my situation could have been better.