Inconsistent Intimacy

I love the moms' group at our church. We have so much to talk about and catch up on every (other) week, that we spend most of our meeting, uh, talking...and catching up! But the new study we've chosen is good, too.

It's called Train Up a Mom: a Bible Study for Mothers, by Vollie Sanders.

Yep, I need to get me some training to do this mommy thing.

This week's study was called "To Walk in Intimacy". Really, we know we need to have time with the Lord in order to mother our children in a way that glorifies Him. We get stuck when we can't figure out when...how...huh? We resolve to wake up before the kids or we determine to get some quiet time in after our kids are in bed...but something always comes up. Always.

It could be the kid who is getting sick and wakes early for comfort. It could be the coffee we gave the four-year old in the morning, still coursing through her veins at 8 at night! Hehe. It could be just plain ole fatigue or mental exhaustion...whatever it is, it prevents us from consistent time with God.

And that prevents us from seeking Him at all.

We read about Zacchaeus' determination to see who Jesus was in Luke 19:1-10. He had the odds stacked against him - he was short, bless his heart, and surrounded by a huge crowd - but he climbed that ole tree to get him a view of the Lord passing by. How excitedly he must have run, to run ahead of the crowd and to climb a tree. He welcomed the Lord Jesus into his home gladly...and his life was changed radically as a result.

My circumstances as a stay-at-home mom of three young children are not favorable for consistent intimate times with God. But I can seize any opportunity, like Zacchaeus seized that tree, to see the Lord. It might be during a car ride (when all three are strapped down!). Or when I'm washing dishes. I hope to have some quiet time during the day, but I don't need to condemn myself for the circumstances that might prevent it. The point is to go deep, in that moment, with God. To run excitedly, to expect great things. Whenever it happens.

And really, our goal is not to "make the Lord part of our lives". He is our Life. To separate our "time" with Him from the rest of our lives is silly. It's impossible. Either He is or He is not my Life. There are those intimate moments, sweet and refreshing; I need those to thrive. But it's dangerous to think that those intimate moments will sustain my life. Those inconsistent intimate moments are framed in my ever-increasing faith and my obedience to God, according to His consistent mercy and grace. To Him be the glory!