There have been so many times when I have felt as if life is a dance. The swaying back and forth and the dips and lifts and spins. Even having my toes stepped on or stepping on someone else’s toes. It all feels like a dance to me.
When you begin to dance, you don’t go into it having already decided the moves you will dance and the way you will dance before you hear the music. No, the only way to dance successfully is to first listen to the sound, style, and rhythm of the music. From there you can use whatever moves are appropriate for that particular piece.
Life is much like this. Every day presents us with a new song. This is one reason that quiet time is so desperately important. If we don’t first rise early and listen to God to determine the rhythm of the day, then we are much more likely to be stressed out or disappointed.
Living out this strange quarantine time and even when life opens back up and we begin to acclimate to normal living again, it is and will be very important to establish our tempo with God. He knows what our days should look like, we can trust Him to walk us exactly where and when we should go.
This “downtime” has presented us with a unique opportunity to reset. Why not make the most of this time by learning to establish a routine with God. Even though we aren’t leaving the house much right now, I still rise well before my children so I can have time to fully wake up and be with God before I am thrust into mothering for the day. This has been an extremely important practice for me for many years now, so I knew when all this chaos began, one of the biggest gifts I could give my family was for me to have a steady and deliberate pace.
My children, and most children for that matter, find comfort and stability in having a routine. That fact has not changed. So, as their mother I have given them that gift. I wake them up at a certain time every weekday morning and we begin remote school at a certain time, and we eat lunch and dinner together as a family every day, etc. It has brought a harmonious balance to this time. It’s made this forced and unwelcomed quarantine time much more tolerable, in fact, we have ended up enjoying the strengthening of our family bonds.
Finding blessing in all circumstances, that’s my style.
Prayer Moment: Whether you already rock having a steady schedule or not, it’s never too late. Maybe you love a schedule, but struggle with letting it go sometimes in order to live life fully, I too have found that to sometimes be my struggle. Whatever camp you are in, take a minute and allow God to shine His light on your day to day activities. Give Him permission to change the music, if He needs to do so. I promise, you will not regret it. Let’s all fight to find the fullness of this time when the enemy sought to isolate us. Instead, wouldn’t it be great if we all came out of this with more solid family units? That’s what I am fighting for right now.
Let’s revisit an old and familiar verse in a new translation….
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me- watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythm of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. Matthew 11:28-30
365 Days in the Presence 