Divine Connection: For bone-weary moms who need to recollect themselves and reconnect with the Divine.
It’s a rainy end to a rainy week here in Collin County. I, for one, am glad the weather turned cold again and the rain has brought everyone back inside. It is one last kiss with the cuddly, insulating winter before the outburst of spring and the renewed activity that accompanies it. The baby leaf buds on our Ash tree practically shout spring’s arrival but for now, our family huddles around the fireplace with bowls of chili and watches the rain fall outside our windows.
Doesn’t this weather make you want to slow down and do less? Are you sensing a call to be quiet? This is a reminder that it is ok to rest. The voices of the world would have us whipped up in a frenzy to do…something…ANYthing to stave off the uncontrolled forces threatening our economy, jobs…the whole world for that matter! But maintaining a Divine Connection frees us from the burden of having to manage everything and reminds us, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15
I’ll say it again: it is ok to rest. In fact, it can be a type of prayer called the Prayer of Quiet. Wikipedia defines the Prayer of Quiet as “a state in which the soul experiences an extraordinary peace and rest, accompanied by delight or pleasure in contemplating God as present.”
I know others might look upon inactivity as “doing nothing” but that is not the case. You are “being” when you are quiet and simply mindful of God’s presence. God often calls us to this “quiet being” in preparation for what is ahead. It is a time for gathering our own strength and tapping into God’s. We need this.
Susanna Wesley was a mother of nineteen children who recognized her need for quiet being with God. (No small feat when you have nineteen children and no television, movies, iPods, Wii games or PS2!) To ensure she had quiet time, she would put her big hoop skirt over her head to create a private sanctuary. She trained her children not to interrupt her if they saw her with her skirt over her head!
Her children learned from her example. Her fifteenth child, John Wesley, was a great preacher and the founder of Methodism. Something I recently learned is that research tells us the largest impact on how our children learn to care for themselves is not from what we tell them and not from how we care for them…it comes from their observations of how we care for ourselves.
So, care for yourself! The Prayer of Quiet is time for things to be poured into you before you are poured out for others. As you watch the rain this weekend consider this: Are you taking time to let God pour in? Give yourself permission to just be quietly aware of God’s presence. If you’re feeling radical try to unplug from electronics for a day! As always, I hope this helps you reconnect with the Divine!
God’s Peace,
Leslie Stewart
www.godlanguage.com
P.S. Check out our quiet activities for kids.
Divine Connection: For bone-weary moms who need to recollect themselves and reconnect with the Divine.
It’s a rainy end to a rainy week here in Collin County. I, for one, am glad the weather turned cold again and the rain has brought everyone back inside. It is one last kiss with the cuddly, insulating winter before the outburst of spring and the renewed activity that accompanies it. The baby leaf buds on our Ash tree practically shout spring’s arrival but for now, our family huddles around the fireplace with bowls of chili and watches the rain fall outside our windows.
Doesn’t this weather make you want to slow down and do less? Are you sensing a call to be quiet? This is a reminder that it is ok to rest. The voices of the world would have us whipped up in a frenzy to do…something…ANYthing to stave off the uncontrolled forces threatening our economy, jobs…the whole world for that matter! But maintaining a Divine Connection frees us from the burden of having to manage everything and reminds us, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15
I’ll say it again: it is ok to rest. In fact, it can be a type of prayer called the Prayer of Quiet. Wikipedia defines the Prayer of Quiet as “a state in which the soul experiences an extraordinary peace and rest, accompanied by delight or pleasure in contemplating God as present.”
I know others might look upon inactivity as “doing nothing” but that is not the case. You are “being” when you are quiet and simply mindful of God’s presence. God often calls us to this “quiet being” in preparation for what is ahead. It is a time for gathering our own strength and tapping into God’s. We need this.
Susanna Wesley was a mother of nineteen children who recognized her need for quiet being with God. (No small feat when you have nineteen children and no television, movies, iPods, Wii games or PS2!) To ensure she had quiet time, she would put her big hoop skirt over her head to create a private sanctuary. She trained her children not to interrupt her if they saw her with her skirt over her head!
Her children learned from her example. Her fifteenth child, John Wesley, was a great preacher and the founder of Methodism. Something I recently learned is that research tells us the largest impact on how our children learn to care for themselves is not from what we tell them and not from how we care for them…it comes from their observations of how we care for ourselves.
So, care for yourself! The Prayer of Quiet is time for things to be poured into you before you are poured out for others. As you watch the rain this weekend consider this: Are you taking time to let God pour in? Give yourself permission to just be quietly aware of God’s presence. If you’re feeling radical try to unplug from electronics for a day! As always, I hope this helps you reconnect with the Divine!
God’s Peace,
Leslie Stewart
www.godlanguage.com
P.S. Check out our quiet activities for kids.
1