Connecting At The End Of The Week

FRIDAY you blessed thing, you.  Seriously.  I could do a jig.  I could just hug it.

Honest confessions of a first time mom of a Spring Breaker: I think I blew it a little.  I mean, bless him, Liam really had no grid for Spring Break and I don't think he even realized that he wasn't going to school when he normally would have.  But we got into it and I realized I wanted to have more 'fun' planned than I did.  This is how I roll though....rarely prepared for things the first time I experience them - it takes me a time or two to get into the groove.  Some moms seem to be born ready for these kinds of things...I get there in time :). So NEXT year I'll be all over it.

Here's a question for you: Where have you been lately?  Not where have you literally been.  But where have you been?  Where has your heart been?  Where have your thoughts been?  Because even in the crazy weeks, our hearts continue living.  Our spirits continue sensing.  Our minds continue pondering.  You may be meeting this Friday in a frazzled state, just thankful to cross the finish line.  Those weeks inevitably leave me aware of only the blatant within me.  Know what I mean?  My most conscious thoughts are: Let's have fun.  I'm tired.  We made it.  These boys are so cute.  Lord help me not get angry today.  Is it time for a latte?  What can I eat?............

But even at the end of those weeks, the truest part of me and the truest part of you is still beating and experiencing life.  And oh so often, there is a dialogue going on in and it's there whether we connect with it or not.  But it's there my friend.

And, for me, that is mostly the place that my spirit is engaged and I am connecting with Him.

Do you feel dry at the end of this week?  Wondering how another week passed and you ended up here at the end of blur of activity?  Feeling like He's not speaking much at the moment?  Or maybe you feel overwhelmed by a particular situation that is unrelenting and consumes your thoughts.  Perhaps you arrive at this Friday, aware of just how much Grace has been extended to you this week though.

If I may, I'd love to speak right to the deepest part of you and simply say a few things that are indeed true....whether they feel true or not.

Truth:

You are not separated from Him.  Romans 8:35-39

He is with you. Isaiah 41:10

He delights in you.  Zephaniah 3:17

He is speaking to you and you will hear him.  John 10:27-28

There's no substitute for truth and sometimes I have to get a little firm and confront myself with it. Truth really does bring freedom, doesn't it?!

So if you've arrived at the end of the week feeling disconnected, I'll just put out there a few questions I ask myself and a few things I ask the Lord to do to help me connect more deeply:

Questions:
What situations have been filling my thoughts most loudly?
What thoughts have been running throughout my mind or heart on a quieter level?
What am I feeling beneath the thoughts that I've been having?

What I ask of the Lord:
Lord, give me eyes to see what you see and ears to hear what you hear.
Lord, show me my heart.
Father, help me to be quiet so that I can hear.
Jesus, what do you want me to pay attention to?

If those kinds of questions are new or feel uncomfortable, no worries.  Warm up to them and take them out for a test drive.  There's not really much on the line if nothing happens!  But, I think they help stir up your spirit and open you up to connect.

Be encouraged my friend.  No matter how you've arrived at this Friday, this moment is yours.  This moment can lead right into the deeper connection that every one of us longs for.  Don't be discouraged by thinking you need to carve out thirty minutes of silence.  Take two minutes right now and then pay attention when it comes to your mind throughout the day.  See what happens...because maybe something will!

You are loved.  You are desired.  And you are most definitely not separated.

Many blessings on your weekend and happy weekending to you!

Love y'all,
Abi