34/366 "Can you meet with Me?"

I have the privilege of speaking at a Ladies Event in Tollesboro, KY  March 14. I am 100% confident of what I am going to share. I am 90% sure about how it is coming together. The 10% concerns me. I asked a friend if we could meet sometime in the next two weeks so I can get feedback from them to make sure what I have is clear and there are no "holes" in the message.

A different friend asked me yesterday if I had time to meet today to get caught up on life and the ministries we do together. It's been awhile since we've been able to do that and this was a check-in to make sure we are on the same page. We had a great meeting this afternoon.

I received a text a few days ago asking if I could meet Wednesday night with five others to discuss a new ministry. To hear the vision our leader has, to share ideas, to talk about how we can work together. I am looking forward to that meeting. 

All of these meetings are a priority.
All are on my calendar.
I will spend whatever time and energy I need to make these meetings meaningful.

In my past are meetings I have not been eager to attend. Not convinced of their necessity or productivity, because whatever they were about was not a priority to me, I was reluctant to give much thought, energy or attention to them. Slowly I have learned to say "no" and such meetings are not often on my calendar now.

I am convicted tonight about and repenting of the times I have rushed through my daily "meeting" with God. Why is it sometimes hard to spend more than 10-15 minutes with Him, yet easy to linger for an hour or more with these others? Maybe it's because sometimes I lose sight of Who He is , what He has done and what He continues to do in and for me. I get distracted by the chaos of life. I get caught up in and blinded by the lie that rushing to get to my "next thing" is more important/productive than spending time meeting with the One I say I am doing "the thing" for. I forget to live with eternity in mind. 

I am also thankful for yesterday morning. I had an hour before I needed to leave for church so I grabbed my Bible, journal and prayer sheets from the library and carried them to the family room. I was looking forward to a not rushed time alone with God before facing people and the days activities. My plan was to enjoy the fire in the wood stove, snuggle under a blanket, cozy and comfortable and leisurely read, write and pray. As I sat down, the sun burst through the clouds and flooded my family room, it was like a whispered but loud invitation from God to enter His presence. I opened my Bible to begin reading and had to shut it. I could do nothing but sit in silence, basking in the rays of the sun, thinking about the light He longs to shine into my life every day. I could feel my soul soaking up the comfort, power and healing offered in this meeting with Him. It would have been nearly impossible to ignore the presence of God.

This evening as I ponder yesterday morning,

• I wonder "why me?" because I do not deserve this privilege. Not one of us does.
• I am thankful God is a God of relationship.
• I am thankful He continues to ask "will you meet with Me?" 
• I pray you too know the Son of God and are fond of soaking up His presence.