A couple of days ago I was speaking to a new friend about her times with God and how she desires these times to be intentional. Her quiet time each day typically includes times of prayer, study and silence, but she went onto share her recent struggles in this area because of her own and her child's illness. She commented that her journal ling had been reduced to simple prayers of help to just get through her days.
I challenged her that when her world is pushed by circumstances into these times that they can be just as intentional as her typical routine. But it was way to much for her to easily accept my suggestion that her time with God could be nothing more than curling up on the couch, lying in his lap, and being with him; evening falling asleep like that. She questioned, "If this is the way it is supposed to be then why do we never hear this kind of teaching in our churches?"
My conversation with her brought me back to the things I have been considering this week. I think we as a society, as a church have confused drivenness for intentionality. (My own life and experiences are testimony to this.) I am so glad that I have been introduced to the spiritual disciplines and to spiritual direction because they have caused me to slowly accept a paradigm shift in my pursuit of life; to move from pressing into drivenness to resting in intention.
And so as this week ends and the Sabbath approaches, I am choosing to live a life of intentionality, aware of the contours created by God's creative work in me and others, aware of his bigger work in my life and the lives of others, aware of his presence and activity and goodness into which I am invited to rest and move and be. This will be a process, a growth edge in my life for sometime. Lord, teach me.
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