“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.”
– Luke 14:16-18
Do you wake up like me, with a ‘to-do’ list running through your head? And the more I’d like to get done, the more I begin to believe I have a compelling reason to skip morning prayer time. I have to settle my mind, force myself into the Word, and it’s a struggle. Here’s how it looked today:
Yes, my Bible is open there, but see those sheets of notebook paper to the right, and that big binder? Collectively, those are “my brains” – the lists of calls I need to make, emails I need to send, notes I need to write, schedules (mine and 3 kids’) I need to manage, and stuff I need to buy. Thrilling, right? And yet, this morning, I kept thinking of things that pertained to “my brains” and I just had to write them down or I was going to forget them.
One could argue this is just good organization, and it is also evidence of my battle for control, but the bigger issue here is that every day I am invited to spend time with the One who alone can give me proper perspective about what’s important and what’s not. And even though I know His guidance is best, have learned its benefits from experience, I still have trouble accepting the invitation.
This morning, I actually began my prayer time with that Galatians study I’ve been doing. But eventually, I just asked God to show me what He’d like me to see. I began to flip through Scripture, as I often do when my mind feels unsettled, and the parable from Luke jumped off the page. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Because…
[T]he Lord searches all hearts and understands all the mind’s thoughts. If you seek him, he will let himself be found by you.
-1 Chronicles 28:9
I know this to be true as well.
His house is open. I’m invited. And to get the nourishment I need, I have to go in, sit at the table, and taste the dinner.
Gretchen, I am quite familiar with this struggle and with the presence of multiple “brains” to keep me on track. Thank you for this post and the reminder of His nourishment for our souls.
Thank you so much for reading, and for your response! Have a blessed weekend.