I was overcome by an urge to share this. It hit me the other night. Even with all I have going on, even with stress and concerns, I feel more at peace and more happy than any other time in my life. Why? I make time. I make time everyday, no matter what, to pray and read the Bible and my devotionals. Now, before you think I'm getting up on my soapbox and beating my Bible preaching fire and brimstone....fear not. This blog is not about that.
I have just found something in my life that really brings clarity and peace and wanted to share in the hopes that it helps someone else. At first I didn't notice a huge difference, but after a while, I really started to notice an inner peace. The longer I have been doing this, the happier and more at peace I feel. Every night, after Nic is in bed, after I have had a shower, before drifting off to sleep, I take at least 20 minutes to be by myself, just me and God. I pray, read devotionals, look up scriptures. It doesn't matter how tired I am, it doesn't matter how late it is. I do this EVERY NIGHT. It has become such a part of my nightly routine that I don't think I could sleep without doing it. When I started doing this, I just wanted to say a prayer and give thanks to God for his blessings. Then I realized that there is a lot in the Bible that can be confusing or hard to understand. I wanted to make sure I was interpreting things correctly and doing the right things. I wanted to make sure I undestood, so I can help my children to understand. So I started praying for understanding and clarity so that I could be sure that I'm living the life I am supposed to live and help others that may need it. I started reading devotionals, which were VERY helpful. I started discussing what I was learning and reading with my significant other and found we both could learn a lot from each other.
Then, I really saw God working. I read Nicholas a Bible story every night from his Children's Bible. Believe it or not, this has really helped me as much as him! One night I will read a story about (for example) Saul and then when I pick up my devotional before bed, will find that my devotional is talking about the same scripture! A coincidence? Then I'll go to church on Sunday and each Sunday, there is a sermon, a hymn, or something in Sunday school about one of the scriptures I had been studying that week!! Another coincidence? I asked God to help me with understanding, and He has provided. Everything I pick up and read ties together, even what we learn in church on Sunday. Gaining this understanding and clarity has helped me find peace and happiness. It all started with making sure I took the time everyday.
So take time, be still, learn, grow, pray and worship. You will be amazed at what just 20 minutes a day can do for you!
1 comment:
Such a great post Donna. It is amazing how you life and inner peace will change if you just put God first and develop a relationship with him. I haven't been the greatest about doing this lately because of being sick, but I know that shouldn't be an excuse. But before I became sick I was devoting every morning and night to God and being still. It took care of so many anxiety issues I have, it allowed me to have a quiet inner peace all day. Just amazing what God can do when you are devoted to him, huh? Thanks for the post, you are great!
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