Sitting Quietly

In the past few weeks I have been finding a renewed sense of calm and peace. I have been enjoying the early, quiet hours of the morning. Its no longer a "have to" but a sincere "want to".
As a teen, the church we attended used a youth program that had a deep foundation in the Bible. There was a major emphasis on "quiet time". They even created a "Quiet Time Diary" and taught us how to have a daily "quiet time". There was a journal you were required to fill out and certain Scripture to read. It was very regimented. The problem was, I am not regimented. It was hard to get the hang of a scheduled 15 minutes per day, breaking up the prayer and Bible reading daily.
Fast forward to last month. All these years of trying to force a quiet time here and there while trying to find the right program, right passage, right time, right everything to make this thing work may have come to fruition. I honestly believe I have found what I have wanted to most of my life. I can truly call it "quiet".
You see, I think the point of having this time every day is to hear from the Lord. That might not always be from three chapters and a Psalm. Sometimes its just sitting quietly and reflecting on what He is trying to teach me. Its allowing the whisper of the Holy Spirit to make Himself known in my heart. It involves listening, waiting and a willingness to still my heart and know that He is God. Sometimes its just basking in His love and getting strength to serve Him for that day.
I have a Life Journal that I truly enjoy and believe its a great plan to soak in the Word everyday. Its a perfect way to get our marching orders for the day. I am not advocating skipping God's Word as much as I am suggesting that we leave condemnation behind. Take what we can and let it soak into our hearts to prepare us for our day.
Have you been struggling to find calm and peace? Are you like me and if you couldn't do the whole thing you would skip it altogether? Let me encourage you today to get what you can. If its just a couple of verses to ponder on throughout your day, find them and let them soak in you soul. Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
I hope you have a peaceful and quiet day.

Always,

Hope