Sunday, November 2, 2008

A wrestling match

Hey all my sweet bloggy friends!!

Quick shout out to Facebook and my ability to stay in touch when I was on bloggy break!!! Is that an oxymoron or something?? Those two thoughts don't seem like they should even go together in the same sentence!

So, was I really on break?? Yes!

I peeked in here and there, but for the most part.....I was 100% Facebooking. Clearly, this addict needs help. Drop the blog, but let's Facebook all day long!

But, I had about a week off from having to think about what in the world to blog about. That was nice. I was feeling overwhelmed and felt like I need to breathe and concentrate on some other things....like children, hubby, and Jesus.

I have tried to figure out how to enter back into the land of blogging with some bang but I don't know what that would be.

Halloween pix? Nah.

Video?? Nah.

Pictures in general? Nah.

All the bad stuff I've been dealing with? Nah.

How about this food for thought for today.....

" We are constantly bombarded with sounds. Either the radio announcer is talking to us, or the voice through the phone receiver is. And if we are able to escape momentarily and grab a moment of silence, we confront the most deafening noise of all: our internal voice. Yes, our days are filled with people speaking to us, but for most, it is our internal speaking that fills every crevice and crack of our conscious moments. When we see a neighbor, our opinions speak a piece about her. As we talk with a coworker, beyond our words, our thoughts speak volumes. Even as we embrace a loved one, our hearts can be quite chatty with criticism or distractions. And most devastatingly, our times of prayer are loud with our voice but soft in the voice of God."

Totally stole that from Ravi Zacharius, but HOLY COW is that good or what???

I've been thinking alot about alot of things on this bloggy break and one or three being this....

1. The attention I give God. I mean, I say I have Him first in my life, but do I?

2. The attention I give others that are entrusted to me.

3. The attention I give those I'm around on a daily basis outside of family.

What has me distracted? Am I ADD? Why can't I be fully present to someone or one particular thing?

What has you distracted?

Go back and read that paragraph again from Ravi. Go ahead. I'll wait. And, it gets better with paragraph 2. Read on when you are ready....

"These are all connected. In each we demonstrate our ability to listen: our ability to become quiet, open ourselves to another, and focus upon their concern. True listening only occurs when we disentangle ourselves from our internal morass of self-centeredness. Only as we internally soften the focus upon ourselves and became captivated in concern for another do we begin to listen. It is only via true listening that we will ever consistently hear the people that populate our world. Yes, on occasion, we can be jolted out of the dominance of our internal voice by the tragedy another has suffered or by the lightening bolt of God's conviction. But on a daily basis, on a minute-by-minute basis, unless we take on an attitude of true listening our world will resound with our own internal voice."

Hang in there....one more final paragraph to bring her home....

"The lack of true listening is the cause of much of our spiritual weakness for if we place the mouth before the ear, our prayers will be dominated by our mouths and not our ears. This results in prayers full of our requests and our desires and lacking in God's requests and God's desires. We end up presenting our questions for God, but do not wait to hear His questions of us. Let us learn from Jacob that wrestling with God in prayer means that God wrestles back. This powerful thought should make us tremble. We ought not bend our knees blithely, for God might bend us as we kneel before Him."

I've been in and am still in a wrestling match with God and it's been going on for a mighty long time and honestly.....I'm tired of it.

This devotion speaks so much to me and I hope it does to you as well.

I'm happy to be back. I sure missed y'all. But, God and I had to get dirty over some things and unfortunately it ain't over yet. He's teaching me to listen. And, I'm having to tune some things out in order to hear Him.

I love Him dearly and I know He is for me and not against me.
Spend some time with Him. Alot of time with Him. Open those ears!

Hugs and blessings~

12 comments:

Toknowhim said...

Great thoughts Fran (and Ravi :)... I am on the same page with you on many things. Most of my struggles are the things that go on internally in my mind... I have enough to keep me busy just dealing with my internal dialogue, but I am also tired of being bound in my thought life with things that God has set me Free from...

I am weak, but I am tired of not walking in the Freedom that Christ has for me. I am on a pilgrimage to Freedom. I love Him so, but know that I have just touched the surface of truly loving Him...

Blessings...

A Stone Gatherer said...

Wonderful post Fran! Very convicting! I have been thinking along the lines of this same thought! Lately I've been saying, like the song "Give me your eyes for just one second". so I can see the people that need Him, and to see them the way HE sees them. I know too I have to be a better listener!

ocean mommy said...

Oh my Siesta! I'm telling you, I just about how tears when I read your comment to me this morning...and just so you know...we aren't going anywhere!!

Okay with that out of the way...

Girl you brought a timely word this morning to me. :) I hear what your heart is saying here and I'm so proud of you for sharing what God IS doing in you right now. I think it's so powerful that you shared it while you are still in it instead of waiting until you felt like it was all over and "neat". Does that make sense? Maybe not...I'm still sleep deprived!

Love you!
steph.

Patty said...

Welcome back my sweet friend! What a way to come back. ;) I am going to reread this post again. Girl, we could talk! lol

Oh, before I forget, my brother is getting our hotel for us. Isn't he sweet? We should go see a Christmas show at Opryland Hotel. The Rockettes show. ;)

Have a great day!
Love,
Patty

Leah Adams said...

What a great post!! Listening is something that very few people do well. I have learned to listen better to the voice of the Lord but I still have a long way to go. Listening to my husband and really hearing his heart is something else I have been working on. Thanks for such a great reminder of why we have two ears and one mouth rather than the other way around!!

Leah

beckyjomama said...

First of all, you cannot see it, but I am doin a "Frannie's back happy dance" up in here!! And second of all ... WOW!!!

You can bring it girl!

Love ya!

BethAnne said...

I think we all can relate to exactly what you are going through. Seems like we are so busy (much of our busy-ness is self induced) that we have no time for what is important.....I am right there with ya on this one.....its a constant struggle.

Teresa said...

Fran, I have been reading your blog for just over 6 weeks and missed you greatly while you were gone on your break. I even considered joining facebook in case you decided not to return to blogging (yes, I am blushing over that one). Why? Because your obvious love of God and your good heart has been one of the blogs that has helped me make it through these rough days of being a caregiver to many family members. I'm tired, I'm overwhelmed, I'm lonely and scared. God is who I'm leaning on and I feel that he has given me you and other Christian bloggers to help me continue to see all the blessings I am surrounded by.

I pray that your struggles will be solved in a way that glorifies God.

Thank you for your sharing.
Teresa

Gayle @ thewestiecrew said...

I'm like Patty..I need to go read it again to absorb it.

I have had to take a bloggy break of sorts myself. School has really kicked up for my family and they need me. Priorities, right?

Angela Baylis said...

You read my mind, Fran! I was just thinking last night when I was on Facebook that I was talking to someone in London, someone in Wisconsin, someone in New York, and someone in South Carolina ALL at the same time, while my husband was begging for attention right here in my house in Michigan! I really didn't "listen" to any of them! I am wrestling with God about this same thing! I've missed you! You are not alone!
Much love,
Angie xoxo

Lindsee Lou said...

I loved the devotion you shared with us. It is so good! Keep wrestling, sister...it is so worth it and so hard at the same time!

Janelle said...

Oh, wow. That really kicked my tail. That's me.

I am going back to read again, then again. Maybe one more time after that.

Thanks, sweet Fran.


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