Believe it or not, this beautiful picture is taken right outside my back door. One would think that with a view like this, I'd be outside enjoying it every minute. But over time I've come to take it for granted.
When my husband & I moved into this house 12 years ago, I had my coffee out on the back deck every morning it was over 60 degrees. We often ate dinner outside too. After the first year, life happened. We got busy. I got a promotion at work, his company took on a big project, next we had kids. And suddenly this view was forgotten.
Isn't our relationship with God like that sometimes? When our relationship is new we are so excited and want to spend so much time with God. Quiet time every morning, we enjoy our coffee with God. Then life happens. We get busy, and certainly our kids - especially babies keeping us up at night - interfere with our relationship with God. How can we get it back?
Friends can help. When a friend says to me "wow, the view here is amazing" I get reminded to enjoy it more. A friend can also be an accountability partner for your relationship with God, becoming a bible study or prayer partner.
Schedule it! This spring we've already had a deck party so that we could enjoy the view with some friends. The same is true with God. If you schedule your quiet time every morning, or your bible study every week you'll make it happen.
Get your kids involved. All it took was having dinner on the deck one night and now the kids want to eat out there every night. They too enjoy the view! And now that I do daily devotions with them, they can't wait for it to happen and ask if I forget. (I've also seen a positive behavioral change in the 4 yr old since beginning the devotions!)
It doesn't take much work to renew my interest in enjoying my view. And it doesn't take much work to renew your relationship with God either! Why not get started today?
With God in your life, you'll enjoy a new point of VIEW!
"Dear friend, listen well to my words; tune your ears to my voice. Keep my message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart! Those who discover these words live, really live; body and soul, they're bursting with health." Proverbs 4:20, The Message Bible
"And how blessed all those in whom you {God} live, whose lives become roads you travel; They wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks, discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain! God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and at the last turn—Zion! God in full view!" Psalm 84:5-7 The Message Bible
***Don't forget to read my Tuesday Bonus Blog! Something a little extra I added this week.***
6 comments:
I do love the view from your backyard! Picture perfect! Some of my best "mountain top" spiritual experiences have occured outside in God's beautiful creation! Thanks for holding me accountable for the past six years!
You do have a beautiful view! My kids love eating out on our back deck too..I've never considered moving our devotions out there. I will have to wait for warmer mornings though. I've been doing devotions w/ my girls ever since the oldest started Kindergarten. Now she is almost done with first grade. Now, there are some mornings that we don't get to do it...for whatever reason..sick, sleeping late, etc. But I do believe it is so important to show our kids that it is important to begin our day with God. I am guilty of getting involved with life, or w/ sleep, and not getting up early enough to have that quiet time, but God has shown me that I can be fed through having the devotions with my children too.
Blessings~
Alyce
Thanks Kelly,
This is definitely one of my favorite posts! You've done a beautiful job comparing our own lives, taking things for granted, with God and our spiritual lives! I'm encouraged to take a fresh look at my spiritual life! (and my yard!).
Wow Kelly, what a view! I can't imagine taking a view like that for granted, which makes it even more unimaginable that we take our magnificent Lord for granted. But we do it don't we.
We are farmers struggling in a drought so that amount of green almost brings tears to my eyes! So beautiful!
Thanks for coming to visit my blog! I really look forward to chatting!
Sorry, me again. I just had a thought. You may notice my picture. That is my husband feeding pelicans on the lawn of our beach "shack" which is owned by DH's grandparents and loaned to us free of charge. We spend two weeks there every summer looking at that view, I think it's time I appreciated it!
Oh, wow! It is a gorgeous view! We, too, have a pretty view from our patio and people remark on it as well. What a great reminder.
P.S. I couldn't figure out how to add my own "occupation" on my blog, so I chose publisher, since it seemed to fit with blogging. :)
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