Sabbatical Thoughts

Over the past couple of weeks I felt a need to rest and be still. I took time not only for family and vacation, but for recovery from a cold perhaps due to running too hard and too fast for too long! It seems to catch up with me about every other year when I stop running, if I don't temper my schedule and my mind with enough balance! It's hard to do sometimes when you're as passionate as I am about life!

Thank you for indulging me as I took the time for further reflection and direction for this new year. (Guess you really didn't have a choice, but thanks for keeping on checking in to see if I was posting!) ;-)

Taking time to make sure you are on track and going in the right direction, and doing things for the right reasons, is a critical part of the process of life. I find the end of one year and the beginning of the next is the best time for me to be introspective and retrospective, and to ultimately put everything in its proper perspective.

How about you? I trust you have not just jumped back into the fray and gotten back on the mad turnstile of life again, but have indeed taken time to reconnect with God - to look at Him from a different, fresh perspective, to take special time out to really listen and connect with Him in a special, more intimate way. Perhaps to really "Experience God" in a way you never have before.

If you haven't taken the time to do so, I encourage you to carve out the most important time you know you need right now. Put an appointment with God on your schedule - even if it's only for 15-30 minutes one day very soon. You may want to read some Scripture, talk a little about what's on your heart, but most of the time, try to just listen.

Although you may or may not hear his voice speaking to you right away, you will undoubtedly see or hear or know the signs of his presence and his answers throughout the following day or days. The time you invest with God will never be for nothing. It can only enrich and strengthen your life with power from the True Source of life and love himself! Every time you meet with him, you will be changed - little by little it may seem, but over time others, if not yourself, will notice a big difference.

Know where you're going and why, then spend your time pursuing the excellent way! What you focus on you will become. From glory to glory you will be changed and will be like him! Rejoice in the process, as you consciously choose to develop this new habit, and learn to hear God's voice more clearly.