You ever have a blah day? You start your morning routine like a robot, feeling nothing as you push through the afternoon. I think these days are sometimes harder then the ones packed with intense emotions. Whether we’re flying high or down in the valley sobbing, we feel alive in extremes. It’s those pesky in between days that can give way to doubt. Especially when days turn to weeks and months. We start to wonder, “Why am I really here? Do I make a difference or am I living on repeat?” Mastering “meh” moments is a life skill that helps us stave off depression. It’s all about our narrative on these ho-hum days. Do you invite God in and ask Him to shake up that mental tape you have on auto play even when you’re numb? Are you willing to check your attitude or are you more likely to grumble?
I’ve found this battle intensifies on the weekends. It’s that time when my high expectations sometimes collide with my poor planning. I anticipate a much needed “rest and recharge” so I avoid scheduling. This doesn’t work. I either don’t get any rest or waste time going in circles. Perhaps for you it’s the other way around, the work day is so routine that you’re half way through the day before you notice it’s almost quitting time. Either way, when we go through the motions, life becomes a bunch of tasks stacked on top of each other. We find ourselves checking off the boxes on a never ending list. We lose purpose. We drift. This is not God’s plan.
God is divinely efficient in every season. Even in waiting, God transforms us. The problem is we stop talking to Him when we’re on cruise control. I don’t know if we trick ourselves into thinking that He is only interested in the big stuff so we decide to fly solo; or if we believe it’s bothersome to bring all things to our Heavenly Father. No matter why we do this, it’s not biblical. His desire is intimacy with us. He wants to hear every thought, every detail, every emotion. We are to pray without stopping. Just like breathing, prayer isn’t supposed to end until we’re home with Him.
Recently I’ve been trying to connect with my teenage sons in venues of their choosing. Now I know some of you may take issue with this but I’ve learned that if I want to know my sons, I must be willing to walk where they walk. Their life experiences are drastically different then mine. I could demand that they connect with me in the ways I believe are proper, or I could get out of my comfort zone and join them in the life their living. Time is short, so I choose discomfort. In doing this I’ve learned to play Fortnite. I’ve developed an understanding for SnapChat and Instagram because after all Facebook is for “old people”. Who knew! In all of this something stands out, presence. It’s not always about the game we’re playing, the pictures we’re snapping or the streak we’re keeping. It’s about an ongoing conversation that provides a platform of presence. This presence says, “I love you son.” This is what God wants from us.
He wants our hearts in such constant communication with His that it says to Him, “I love you Father.” When we practice constant presence with our Heavenly Father, there is no room for mundane. Boredom must take a backseat. Bland becomes sweet. Darkness becomes light. Life becomes purposeful. It’s not the events and business in our lives that matter, it’s the intentional intimacy with God and others. I’m reminded of an old familiar song by Merle Haggard, “He Walks With Me”. Contemplate these lyrics, “and he walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own, and the joy we share as we tarry there none other has ever known.” God’s presence is transformational no matter the season. Talk to Him, just like breathing.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
- Mark 13: 33 “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.”
- 1 Corinthians 14:15 “What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit and I will also sing with the understanding.”
- Psalm 55:17-18 “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.”
- Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.“
April 22, 2018
Even in the mundane, we are at the point place in time we’re suppose to be in. The following has helped me. To see the mundane routines of life as beautiful, restful, a party on the inside of joy just because of His presence within. It’s a miracle,a non mundane thing…. It’s beautiful and a Time to practice gratitude at just beholding His beauty.
April 23, 2018
Couldn’t agree more! May God bless you in all seasons.