Sunday, April 17, 2011
DRY SPELL
I am going through a dry spell. Well, not professionally. I received two contracts last week. I have enough work to keep me VERY busy for the next 15 months. And not the dry spell that's keeping my lawn from getting significantly green in spite of its being April in Oklahoma. No, a dry spell of the soul. Every now and then I play at devotions. I have this picture of what devotions should be: Bible reading, meditation, prayer. A Year With Aslan, no matter how much truth can be found in the Narnia chronicles, doesn't once quote scripture. Is that devotional material? I tried reading through the Bible. I think I've finished February. All too often I shrug it off. And I know, I know, I'm suffering because of it. How can I expect to write meaningful fiction that will touch people's lives when I'm starving my spirit? Does anyone else out there struggle with this issue? (I assume I'm not alone.) How do you keep your devotional life fresh? What keeps you coming back (besides a sense of duty)?
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4 comments:
After YEARS of struggling with this very thing, I've finally discovered the beauty of doing my Beth Moore homework. Our Sunday School class has done several Beth Moore studies over the last few years, but I've always been too 'busy' to do my homework.
Now that I'm home, and working on my freelance/book writing/speaking career, I've carved out a half hour for myself every morning to do my homework. It has meant WONDERS to me. Beth is thought provoking and the studies are DEEP. So much so, that I sometimes cheat a little bit and go on to the next day.
I'd like to say I do self-guided study all of the time...and I do when I'm preparing to speak at an upcoming event, but I really enjoy Beth's studies as a way to fill in those gaps at times when I can't find the motivation on my own.
Hang in there! :)
I've set up a corner of my bedroom with a comfy chair and a stand that holds my CD player, Bible(s), journal, pens, reading glasses, prayer list. That's where I sit each morning and talk with God. I read a little, jot down in my journal any verses that jump out at me, then write why I think God might have led me to those verses at that particular time, then I pray. I usually have soft music playing. Because this corner is only used for one purpose, it puts me in the right frame of mind to meet with God each morning. I really miss it if I rush into the day without my quiet time.
My big temptation is to stroll into the day with my cup of coffee and immediately plop down and open my email. That's pretty much a ritual. Once I finally accepted that atrocious habit as a permanent fixture I decided I needed to get my devotionals by email. I won't allow myself to read anything else until I read them first. Sometimes I switch them up, but I find during stressful times (such as grieving times) that simple is best. The important thing is that I get the Word in me daily and meditate on it - even if it means staring at my computer screen while doing so. And though I'm not reading from my paper Bible all the time, I'm still reading God's Word. I get my devos from www.heartlight.org/ and Max Lucado. On occasion I read my favorites Streams in the Desert. It try to stay in an attitude of prayer throughout the day and have certain times of the day that I stop to pray.
Praying for times of refreshing.
Carla, I will wake up with the best of intentions and the phone lures me into the study and then I never get back. Getting the devo sent to my computer. Hmm. That's a good idea.
Tamara, Jan, I appreciate your discipline . . . and your suggestions.
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