“Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you.
Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
—Mark 14:36
What’s
in your cup this morning? As for me, I pour steamy Folger’s Breakfast Blend and
add a splash—well, more than a splash—of French vanilla creamer. Then I head to
the front of my house for my first porch party of the season. Porch party is a
term coined by my Facebook friend Julie Garmon that she uses in referring to
the daily quality time she spends with her husband. No matter the weather, they
meet together on their porch every day. And it doesn’t matter what they talk
about, but that they talk or just be together, for they know how important this
is to their relationship, and they have made a commitment to do so. It is a
priority. (You can read about Julie’s porch parties and more on her blog.)
On
the way to my porch, I gather up my bible and a devotional Daily Guideposts 2014 (of which Julie is a writer) and I’m excited.
For you see, this is my daily quality time with God.
Although
I’m single, I recognize the value in married couples spending time cultivating
their relationship and I know that the Lord desires this same type of
commitment from Christians. Daily porch parties. Of course you may not have a
porch or even a balcony, but just find a quiet place to come apart from all the
busyness of life and rest a little, just as the Lord told His disciples (in Mark
6:31) when they had been ministering so much that they had not so much as time to eat: “Come apart into a desert
place, and rest a little.”
Be
still before the Lord. Allow Him to refresh your spirit…your body…your mind. I
like how Joyce Meyers puts it, “You had better come apart and spend time with
God before you fall apart.”
