A blanket for the soul~

Every morning, before these eyes take in the bedside lamp coming from mom's bedroom window (their window juts out and reflects into ours) or the giant yellow globe shines through the shades, I breathe in Your presence. I grab for the MP3 player and listen to Your Word:

1 John 4:7-21 (NLT) "Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God—for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."

Each new day I have a choice. Sit at Your feet and worship You or take in the stress of the moment; jump up and get going on the day or revel in Your love. And some days, I allow myself to be deceived by thinking that if I've listened to the Word via the MP3 then it'll all be ok...not true.

Today, I brought my heart before You and adored You for who You are and Who I am in You.
Ah, ooh, and oh! Your love kept me all day.

Absolutely blanketed in Your presence, but sometimes (daily) I become so engrossed in the children, the parents, or the packing-
I forget.
I let my mind wander...'Why do they argue?' 'How are we going to pay for that?'
...etc, etc, etc...

The snake has begun to pull off the blanket and I chill...

But then I hear Your voice:

"Listen to the tapes in your head. What are they saying to you? Are these thoughts of truth or are you believing lies based on the external circumstances of the moment?"

Oh yeah!

This is what it means to practice the presence of God!

...listening to the faint sounds of
Your voice speaking to me over the screaming static that insists on chaining me with these thoughts that are not based on Your Word.

I make a decision to rehearse what You say
about those silly tapes playing over and over; holding on to Truth until these
emotions subside and I wrap myself in Your loving arms again.
It's my soul that is being saved-remember, Daune?
Hebrews 4:12; Hebrews 619; 1 Peter 1:9; 2:11...

My spirit is already saved!

Tonite as I was putting away lawn chairs before the rain came, Your reminded me that You
were right there, walking to the garage with me; I sensed the reality that I'm Your daughter, You delight in me and I didn't even 'do' anything to deserve this moment of attention!

"This relationship, Your unconditional love surely spills out and other's lives are touched, right?"
Daily, I wonder with the season I'm in-am I being 'used'?
But then, I hear Your voice again reminding me that I am Your masterpiece, recreated in
Jesus Christ, so I can do the good works YOU prepared a long time ago...
Oh, yeah...
*sigh*
Goodnite Jesus.

(This is an ongoing conversation that we all have-what tapes are playing in your head today?)