Quiet Times

"Do you seek great things for yourself?" Jeremiah 45:5

Oswald Chambers writes: Are you seeking great things for yourself, instead of seeking to be a great person? God wants you to be in a much closer relationship with Himself than simply receiving his gifts - He wants you to get to know him. God never gives us anything incidental. There is nothing easier than getting into the right relationship with God, unless it is not God you seek, but only what he can give you. If you have only come as far as asking God for things, you have never come to the point of understanding the least bit of what surrender really means.

I am outside the house, sitting at the front seat of my mom's Vox Wagen. It's a really cold day but I like it. It's peaceful. I like the sound the leaves make when cold air blows them. Everything is calm. I enjoy having fun and playing sports and fooling around with my friends, but I also adore the peace and quiet. These are the best times to just stop, listen to God, and be myself.

The peace and quiet are such refreshments for the soul. After a long day at school or in community, I seldom have these quiet moments. Sometimes my life gets so hectic that I don't have time for myself. Sometimes I get to sleep for only 4 hours a day every week. Despite the busy schedule, the enormous load and pressure, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. No matter how many things I have to do, how many things I have to finish or study for, I find refreshment in the company of my friends at school. I find refreshment in the smiles of the people in community and their overflowing love. I find refreshment in the sound of my mom's car coming or my father's corny jokes. I find refreshment in my pet dogs, running eagerly to lick me on the face.

I find refreshment in times of silence. I find refreshment in God.