Friday, September 30, 2011

the drawing room

I mentioned earlier that the Beauties were reading "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World."  After reading this week's chapter, we challenged each other to meet in the drawing room each morning.

Allow me to explain...

Robert Boyd Munger wrote an article entitled "My Heart Christ's Home".  In this article, Munger tells how he showed Christ around the house of his heart.  He invited Christ to settle down here and be perfectly at home. They visited room by room...the library of his mind, a small room with very thick walls...the dining room of his appetites and desires...the workshop where his talents and skills were kept...the hall closet with dead rotting things he had managed to hoard...and the drawing room.  A rather intimate, comfortable room.  It had a fireplace, overstuffed chair, and a quiet atmosphere.  Jesus told Munger, "This is indeed a delightful room.  Let us come here often.  It is secluded and quiet and we can fellowship together."  Jesus promised to be there early every morning so they could start the day together.  In his description, Munger went on to say that one morning he was rushed and peeked into the drawing room to see Jesus waiting, like He had promised.  Jesus told him, "The trouble with you is this:  You have been thinking of the quiet time, of the Bible study and prayer time, as a factor in your own spiritual progress, but you have forgotten that this time means something to Me, too."

Well, this portion of our study hit all of us like a ton of bricks. We challenged each other to wake up earlier than normal and begin our day in the Word. Just as Jesus retreated to a quiet place in the dark of the morning to pray, so should we start our day fresh in the Word.   

Tuesday morning, as I was about to hit the snooze button at 5:11am, God said, "Not so fast, Jessica. You made a commitment. I know how to wake you up." And all of sudden, Harper was bright-eyed and ready to start her day. At least until she had her first bottle and then she was snoozing soundly again by 5:25am. So, since God had a sense of humor and knew what would wake me up for sure, I was able to retreat to the "drawing room" with a hot cup of coffee and fresh slice of pumpkin bread and spend some quality time with God. My prayer before I started was this..."Father, thank you for meeting me here this morning. Thank you for giving me this time to spend with you...at your feet. Open my heart and my ears to what you have to teach me this morning." 


The entire tone of my day seems a little less frantic and little more calm because of my time with Jesus this week. But I didn't leave Jesus in the drawing room, as I was leaving I personally invited Him to join me everywhere I went.  My experience at Jesus' feet has been energizing and refreshing and enlightening and calming.  My mornings seem less frantic...my days seem less rushed...my attitudes seem more positive.  In essence, I've allowed Jesus to fill me up each morning before I face the world.  It is so nice to open my eyes...or peek through them at the sounding alarm and envision my Savior waiting for me in the next room.  Waiting to converse with me over a piping hot cup of coffee...and a warm slice of pumpkin bread...thanks to a dear friend.  My time in the drawing room has been blessed. 

Romans 13:11-14 says, "But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!"

The fact of the matter is you are as close to God as you choose to be, as you desire to be, as you decide to be, as you discipline yourself to be.  How much do you desire God?

As for me, Psalm 63:1 sums up my desire, "You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water."   

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