Making Purposeful Stops

I was reading on Friday from http://www.aholyexperience.com and many things struck me...one of the things that has been penetrating my heart and mind was something I read from Ann Voskamp about making purposeful, halting stops in the day. Stops to pray, to read, to write. While I love praying, reading, writing, I find making these purposeful stops in the day very HARD. Why? I am a very unrelaxed person who finds it difficult to relax. But I ask myself: aren't these things more important that my temperament? Than what comes naturally to me? And certainly the answer is a loud resounding "YES".

The most important thing that I first want to implement this week is PRAYER, the purposeful stopping to pray, more than just at meals and more than just for a few minutes in the morning. In the form of a plan, I think I will stick to our normal morning routine, but before lunch, stop for another Bible reading and prayer. I will ask the kids what they want to pray about and discuss with them things that I think we should pray about, situations and people who need to be lifted to the Lord. I think it would be good to start a list that we can post in the house, I have had my own lists over the years, and have waxed and waned in faithfulness. But this will be a family list, that our family would be people of prayer, that we would see God's hand move and give glory to Him and that our faith would be strengthened, that my children would see first hand on a very regular basis the workings of a very living and powerful God.

As far as stopping to read and write, I have been more purposeful, thank the Lord, as of late in these things, just because I could feel God stirring in that direction. Mark and I are reading through the Bible this year and that has already been an awesome experience. I am excited about it. I have been reading more with the kids lately after lunch, just fun stuff lately, but reading is just good for their minds and just being on the couch with all of them together is good for all of our souls.

Purposeful stops, that is what I want to see this week in my life. I am excited, the best thing that I hope to get from this is a greater sense of peace in our home. That is the feel I get from reading Ann's blog, peace. Not a feigned or fake peace or conjured up from some foundationless thing...a peace that comes from walking in tune with the living God and from resting in Him. Ahhh, that sounds so good. I look forward to this week of purposeful stops. I know it will be hard for me, I know the mess will want to stop me, the school pages calling from the table, the piano lessons needing to practiced, the hamper overflowing in the hallway...but I am purposely, with the help of the Lord, going to make purposeful stops to pray through my day this week...one day at a time...