Ample Quality Time

My devotional read "Trust Me enough to spend ample time with me, pushing back the demands of the day.  As you align yourself to My perspective, you can sort out what is important and what is not."  The word 'ample' struck me enough that even with coffee in hand to take upstairs, I felt the need to stop and go back to my spot and get down on my knees on the floor and not just read the paragraphs 2x, pray and be done.

As my friend Rachel and I discussed later (her daughter Ella pictured on the floor with Drew on a playdate) that our relationship with God was kinda like our relationship with our husbands -or with friends etc.  Sometimes we can get done with a "date" or time spent with others and have not really communicated at all.  And sometimes we actually talk about things that matter and honestly feel heard.  It is those kinds of "dates" with God that I need more of and not just "being next to my friend and parallel playing".  The idea that time with others isn't really enough; it needs to be Quality Time.

This morning I got up still feeling the smart of yesterday's hurt, and during that second try at a "real date" with God, I spent Ample Quality time with Him on the floor... with my face in my hands crying to Him.  So many thoughts swirling in my head of what I should maybe do or say or work on, to try and "fix" things.  In retrospect, I can say that most of those thoughts would have stemmed from my own pride and wanting to hear from others that I was justified in my part of the situation.

Finally my mind was quiet enough to hear Him take my face in His hands (I had the vision of how I cup my boys' face in my hands when I want to be tender to them) and tell me that what I had done was just fine, that I needed to be in charge of me, and let Him be in charge of others.  Hmmmm those very words have come out of my mouth to my boys.  "William, you take care of yourself and you let me be the mom."

Later, over coffee (warmed up in the microwave) in bed with Ted, I explained to him what had happened and how God helped me sort out what was important and what wasn't.   What others thought of things wasn't going to be important.  What God thought was enough.  And in some awesome cool way peace came, and what God thought really WAS enough.

As a matter of interest; my friend did later call and we worked things out.  Yet again it is clear to me that when I take care of myself and let God be the parent and not me trying to take things into my own hands... things work out much better!