It Wasn’t Where I Was Looking

Hey mamas! Sorry I have been MIA these past few weeks. For some reason I just haven’t been able to set aside the time to write to you. 

Even what I have to say today is brief. I wanted to share with you the struggle I had all the month of February. 

I was really low. I kept praying for God to give me joy, asking the Holy Spirit to create it within me, because I just wasn’t feeling it. Then someone shared this verse during church:

I’ve heard this verse before, of course, but this time the middle part really hit home. Where can I find joy? In His presence. I was reminded that I was seeking the joy, but not the joy giver. So I made a concentrated effort to spend more time with God, and boy, does it make a difference! 

What does my time with God look like? Not picture perfect, let me tell you…

This is me reading my Bible this morning with a baby booty in my face. He was trying to climb up on my should to reach something (pulling my hair in the process, of course). I live in a smallish house with seven other people, six of which are children, and am rarely alone. If I was waiting for things to be quiet and peaceful to spend time with God, it would never happen! 

So I worship and pray while nursing the baby in the morning. I try to still my mind and ask Him if he has something to tell me as I take my quick shower or do my stretches. Car rides are a good time to check in with God, too. Sometimes my only Bible reading is with the kids, but other times I skip checking my phone after I get the baby down for his nap and read a few quick verses.

Yes, there are interruptions. Sometimes I’ll be peacefully nursing the baby and hear all hell break loose in the living room as two of my boys scrap it out. My preschooler seems to think that mommy’s shower time is the perfect time to socialize. 

But that’s ok. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, He knows we aren’t capable of it. And if we expect it of ourselves we only end up frustrated and defeating the purpose.

Your God loves you and wants to spend time with you. It’s why He created you. Just think on that for a second. 

So, mamas, I want you to do it right now. Turn off you phone. Close your eyes. Breathe in, breathe out. And just say, “I’m here, God, come be with me.” And even if that quiet only last 30 seconds, you will never regret saying those words or the time spent with your Creator.

Love you, mamas!

Lee