"Quiet Times"

Amy and I are a part of a bible study on Tuesday nights. It is interesting because we are the youngest and the only ones with small children. Mom and Dad come over and watch the kids and we really appreciate that. We also appreciate the people in the group and the wisdom that they all bring to the group. Anyway it is a different small group than we have ever been in, but it is really good.

Last week we watched a video about "Quiet Times" it was interesting as the proper Christian stereotype of "quiet time" (qt) is taking time everyday in the morning to spend time in prayer and reading the bible. Which is a good thing, but my brother mentioned how at one time he worshipped his quiet time...this is also true of where I have been. I think sometimes as humans it is easy to turn things into something we worship rather than keep our focus where it should be. As I was growing up I got the idea that how much, how long, the quality etc of your quiet time would define how good of a Christian you were. There is a balance in there - obviously spending time praying and reading the bible is good, but it can be made into a performance based thing which robs it of what it is intended for and this is something I had done with it. I would love to turn the blame to someone else (and there are those out there who push the qt in this direction), but I am the one who lost sight of it's true purpose. I also feel as though I have in the past judged others based on their qt and that I have pounded on people with a big qt stick. For that I am sorry, the guy in the video was good at pointing out the relationship part of a qt. The guy on the video suggested asking God to show you how to have a qt that works for your relationship with God. The thing that stood out to me the most was "pray your mind", basically instead of praying a list and forcing your way through it because you "should" pray this way pray about what God has put on your mind. I have done this a lot lately and it is a staple of my qt and it happens throughout the day. I still need to work on my time in the bible and journal (I just like to journal), but it is good to focus on it as time for my relationship rather than a religious expectation I have put on myself and others.

No matter where you are, simply taking 15 minutes or so to just clear your thoughts and focus (for me on my relationship with Jesus) is a good thing that really can help you relax and destress.
K