simply Tuesday

For the past week, thanks to our lovely Memphis weather, I've been battling my sinuses.  And I do mean battling.  Sometimes it would be bad enough that I would take medicine, and sometimes it wasn't.  (I hate taking medicine.)  The night before last, I had a really fitful night of sleep and woke up feeling horrid yesterday.  I prayed right before I went to bed that the Lord would give me a good night of rest, and He did, and I am so thankful.  I cannot function without at least six hours of sleep; I feel as if I'm in a fog all day, and I'm pretty much useless.

I am so glad to say that I feel more normal this morning!  Praise God for this...it's birthday week around here, and I really need to not be sick on their birthdays again this year.  Because of the fact that I kept waking up feeling terrible, I wasn't having my quiet time first thing in the mornings.  I'd still have it, but it'd be after I was up for a couple of hours and once the medicine had kicked in.

But today I woke up and had it right away.  I love having time alone with God first in the mornings.  It just sets my day off on the right foot.

I know it's not that big a deal to a lot of people...I'm still having it, right?  But to me, it is a HUGE deal.  I always ask God to never let me put ANYTHING before Him, and I mean that with my time, as well.  It wouldn't seem right to me to wake up and start going, going, going and doing all these things before first spending time with Him, praying and reading His word.  It's not right for me to put other things before my quiet time, because at this point in my life, I have all the time in the world.  I stay at home with my kids while they do their school work, and though I do get out for errands and such, mostly, I'm at home.  With all that time I have, I need to give the BEST part of that time to Him, and my best is early in the morning while everyone is asleep.

I know some of you are wives and moms that work.  Some of you are students that have to be at school by six forty in the morning.  Some of you are young moms, whose early mornings are taken up by your kids.  And in all of those cases, I think it's different, this subject of when your quiet time occurs.  But for me, a stay at home and homeschooling wife and mom, with all the time in the world, I should be and want to be spending a good portion of my mornings with Jesus.

There's not a certain amount of time that I spend with Him everyday.  Some days it's short and sweet.  Some days it's an hour or more.  I let the Holy Spirit lead me in this.  I know it sounds strange, but you'll know if you want to keep going with praying or reading the Bible, or if you need to wrap it up and get started on the day.

I don't spend time alone with Jesus everyday because I have to.  But I do spend time with Him because I need to and I want to.  He is my Lord and Savior and very best friend.  I tell everything to Him, and I love hearing Him speak through His word.  I just desperately need Him and I want to know Him more.  That's why I do it~and it's why I love to study His word.

It all kinda goes hand in hand.

There is no special formula for quiet time, my friends.  I always just start with praying, and right now I've been praying using the acronym ACTS~Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.  Then I read in His word.  I journal the verses that I read that jump out to me.  I write out the scripture from the writing plan I love.  And I've been doing an additional plan, as well, in observation of Lent.  I love this time with Him each day.  Later in the day I'll do the Bible study homework that I usually have.  And I might read more of His word throughout the day.

I just know that I need to spend this time with my Jesus everyday.  When I skip a day, I feel off.  It's become such a habit, that I know it's missing from my routine.  But I also feel it in my heart.  I've noticed that when I don't spend a good amount of time with Him that I will be really grumpy, or easily irritated.  When I'm worrying or fretting about something, it's because I've not talked to Him about it.  I know the more time I spend with Him, the more smoothly my days go by.

I know some people would disagree, but I know that for me, at least, that statement is true.

I have a few things I need to get out for today, but it's a pretty low key day again.  Thanks for reading my blog on this dreary Tuesday.

Love to all.

p.s.  The Simply Tuesday title comes from my new book I just got by Emily Freeman, and it's about loving God through all of our life's moments and learning to be content in whatever circumstance God has placed us in.  I haven't actually started it yet, but I plan on starting it as soon as I finish the book I'm reading right now, so maybe later today or tomorrow.

Also, I meant to say this earlier, but here is a great blog post she wrote today.  Click here to read it.