Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. – Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
If we are willing, God wants to be at home in our hearts. He wants them to be a place of peace and joy. Ours hearts are his primary concern. He loves us and wants to stay connected, but in our busyness and distraction it is easy to lose touch with our own hearts and with Him.
Every day, we can make time to be still; we can ask our Great Physician to do a heart scan to show us what is there and what is missing. We ask, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” – Psalm 139:23
Once we do this inventory, we can clear out the rubbish and reorder our lives with reflection and His direction.
Yet even if we make the time, it is easy to lose focus and miss the value of our time with God. Below are a few strategies to maximize the experience-
- Have a special place. Try to make it quiet and comfortable.
- Put it on your schedule. Some people do best in the morning. Others do better at lunchtime or in the evening. Some hear God best in the wee hours of the morning.
- Get some of the word in you by reading or listening to scripture.
- Use a devotional like Jesus Calling by Sarah Young or My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. You can read or listen to an audio version.
- Try meditating or focusing on your breath.
- Listen to some worship music or watch a Christian music video.
- Walk or dance to get yourself engaged.
- Pray for yourself and others. You may wish to use a prayer list or ask God to bring people to mind.
- Go outside to a park or a garden.
- Scan your body to see if you are in a comfortable position and to determine if you are carrying tension anywhere.
- Go through a list of the fruits of the Spirit to help you see where you may need to grow.
- Check your attitude. Are you resentful? Are you grateful? Do you feel hope or dread about the day ahead?
- Write down your inventory and spend some time journaling.
- Be prepared for distractions. Have a paper or notebook where you can write down the things that occur to you that you must attend to at another time.
- Be patient with yourself. You do not have to do it perfectly to gain benefit. As G. K. Chesterton said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.”
Looney Love! 