Each Moment, New

 ...wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Psalm 51:8b

Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be whiter than snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.  Isaiah 1:18

It's so hard to take pictures of snow as it falls.  Falling snow is just one of those things you have to experience live. On this first day of the new year the big, fluffy, white flakes started to fall in the afternoon.  They floated down to the ground in a most pleasant way.  Snow just makes everything look fresh and new again.  It reminds me of the verses that I listed at the beginning of this post.

With the new year people often make resolutions, goals to start over or begin something new.  These resolutions could be to start exercising more, to begin eating better, to begin good habits, or to get rid of bad habits.  Some people have great success with these resolutions.  Some barely make it a week before they've tossed the resolution out the window.  My personal success with new year's resolutions isn't that great.  But maybe that's because I don't see the need to make a resolution only on January 1.  A couple years ago I made a choice to read through the Bible in a year.  That decision was made in April, not January.  Every year in August or September I choose to start new habit at work that will hopefully make the job easier or at least more manageable.  Sometimes I make these choices, resolutions, with the change of seasons or to mark a significant event in my life.

While I'm not the biggest fan of new year's resolutions, I do see a purpose in resolutions, in goals to be better.  I just think that some people set some of their goals too high or have a goal that is too long term without enough strategies in place to accomplish the goal.

One of the best strategies to accomplishing something is to take small steps toward your goal. Sometimes the small steps are doing something the right way for a minute, for an hour, for a few hours, for a day.  With this in mind, I read through the following scripture passages:

But that is not the way you learned Christ! -- assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.  Ephesians 4:20-24.

Put to death therefore what is earthly to you...On account of these the wrath of God is coming...But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.  Do not lie to one another, see that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.  Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you so you must also forgive.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  Colossians 3:5-14.

The best goal any person can make is to put on your new self, the new self that is founded on Christ.  Why would we want to keep the "old self" when we know that God's grace has provided so much for us.  Jesus died on the cross so I can put on the new self and slay (put to death) the "old self."  Think about it this way: the old self is like a ratty set of clothes, the ones that were left damp at the bottom of the clothes hamper.  They stink and look awful.  The new self is a brand new set of clothes; all fresh and clean and a perfect fit for you.  This new set of clothes is just waiting there for you to accept and put on. 

As Christians we accepted this new set of clothes when we surrendered our life to God and His will for our life.  So, why are you talking about putting on the new set of clothes, you may be asking me, if as a Christian I already accepted them?  Here are my thoughts on this: just because you accepted the new clothes / new self doesn't mean that you put it on.  You may have accepted the new self but have hung it up in the closet to admire and have chosen to wear the "old self" instead.  I'm not sure of your reasons for making that choice, we all have different ones, but that doesn't make the choice to continue in our old life (wearing the "old self") the right one.  When we leave the new self on the hanger we are telling God "Thanks, but no thanks.  Having your Son die for my sins was nice but I think I really just want to live the way I was before and not make the changes in my life to follow Your will even though you have done so much for me."

Knitting is a hobby that I enjoy.  It is one in which I knit lots of things and most of them are for other people or at least their little children.  Baby items are quick knits as are hats but I'm starting to divert from the point I'm trying to make here.  When I knit things for people or their children, all I really want in return is a picture that shows them wearing the item.  Even if it's only one time.  I want to see that something I've spent time and money on will be of use for the person receiving it.  That picture, that sight of my handiwork on someone else brings me pure joy.  With God it is the same way but I know that His joy is greater than mine.  When we put on the new self we show Him that we appreciate the sacrifice, that we appreciate and accept the grace that He has chosen to place on us. 

And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23

Our "old self" is full of bad habits and many of those are hard to break.  This is where I want to tie back in the idea of resolutions. I'm not saying you can't choose to put on your new self for the rest of your life, what I am saying is that you can choose to wake up each morning and ask God to help you to put on the new self for that day.  Maybe you have to wake up and say that you're going to put on the new self for the next hour with God's help.  When that hour is up, you choose to put on the new self for the next hour.  You continue to do this throughout the day.  If you fail at putting on the new self during the day, please don't beat yourself up.  Confess it to God and ask Him to help you put the new self back on again.  Keep at it.  Each moment is a new opportunity for God to work in you.

I encourage you Sisters and brothers to look at each moment of your life and choose to put on your new self, your new outfit that was specially created for you by God.  It would be a shame if you chose not to wear this gracious, wonderful gift.  :)

Sister Jane
Romans 14:8

ps: some creature pictures to share with you  :)

T and S snoozing on the couch, almost nose to nose.  :)

The Franks enjoying the corn and snow

Creatures and Snow

Guess what showed up this past week?  Snow!  I've been waiting for the stuff.  While I have family  members who got the green Christmas they wanted, I've always liked the white, fluffy stuff.  Driving in it isn't fun but I feel like the snow outside gives me a great excuse to make a bunch of tea and curl up under a blanket on the couch to knit and watch some tele. 

 My parents are helping me stay well stocked with corn cobs for the moment so I can keep the Franks & Francines well fed during this snow covered season.  I did move the cob holder higher on the post so as the snow gets deeper the cobs can still be munched upon.  

 A few days ago, I noticed that on the most friendly Frank, a gash was on his back.  Poor Frank!  I'm not sure what caused it but I'm happy that he is still the most friendly convent squirrel and really appreciates my treats for him.  He was a bit uncooperative with staying still or staying in the proper position so I could photograph his back.  It doesn't appear to be oozing or anything bad like that.  He appears to be on the mend.  :)

 A couple months ago before the weather got colder I was able to feed the friendliest Frank from my hand.  This is the best picture I could get of Frank eating an almond from my hand.  I did discover though that I have to present the nut in such a way that he can take it straight from my fingers.  He doesn't understand that concept of eating from the palm of my hand and I'm not willing to try that experiment again.  Why?  Because I would prefer not to have him nibble on my finger again and discover that it isn't a nut.  :)   It's okay.  No skin was broken in the process of that experiment.  I think my shots are up-to-date...
 

Before we move to the inside Convent creatures, here's a parting shot of one of the Franks sitting on the edge of a show covered branch.  I wish I could have zoomed in more on him.

As I conclude this post, here's a picture of S and T snoozing on the couch.  They've been really good lately, well T not so much.  I recently attend the midnight premiere of the Hobbit movie (awesome movie by the way) and so I didn't go to sleep until after 4am that day.  Around 8am T decided that I should be out of bed and so he began to meow LOUDLY and run around on the bed and jump on me.  I tried to inform him that I didn't have to get up until 11am when the alarm was set to ring.  He didn't care.  Finally I rolled out of bed and hobbled to the food dish which was already full to add another scoop of food to it to get T to leave me alone.  That did the trick and back to bed I went.  That 11am alarm was not a welcomed sound but I had an appointment to get ready for.  :)

I pray that you stay warm during the cold weather and that Christ remains the center of your life.  Maybe we should have another visit over a cup of tea soon.  :)

Sister Jane
Romans 14:8

Strength and Sanctuary

But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,

until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end...

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever...

For me it is good to be near God; I have made the LORD GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

Psalm 73: 16-17, 26, 28.

Most of my scripture reading takes place in the evening.  As you can see in the picture above, one of the Convent cats likes to join me during my quiet time.  Of the two cats, T is the only one who likes to be this close to me in the evening; he's usually laying at the foot of the bed letting me know that it's time to go to sleep and the one sleeping next to me taking up half the bed in the process.  He's also the one who wakes me up early on the weekends when I have a chance to sleep in, all because he wants more food in his food dish.  T finds comfort in my presence; sanctuary in the warmth that I share with him when he snuggles in close to me. 

When I read Psalm 73 a few months ago, I knew that it would become the basis of a post.  Little did I know that as this post percolated in the back of my mind, God would be with me through  circumstances in my life to show me more about His strength and the sanctuary He provides.

A short time ago, one of my grandmothers passed away.  Mentally, she left us a few years ago and in October her body was able to catch up. True, it is sad that she left this world but Heaven is a much better place for her.  This is something that many in the family have clung to during our time of loss.  Grandma surrendered her life to Christ many years ago so we know that she is praising God in Heaven as this post is read.

Even though one knows that Heaven is the best place for the Christian loved ones who have left us, there is often a desire to have something physical to bring comfort during troubled times.  It can be a hug or a shoulder to cry on.  During the funeral  I noticed that for my mom, it was holding onto dad's hand as they walked past grandma's casket one last time.  My parents are not publicly affectionate so seeing my parents holding hands made an impression on me.  I wish I could take the picture I have in my brain of that sight and frame it.  Yes, mom was relying on the strength that God was providing her to get through the time of loss but having dad there by her side was a great comfort to her.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart, I have overcome the world.  John 16:33

This is a great verse.  Unfortunately, I have forgotten to find my peace in Christ more times than I dare count.  I let my head get in the way of Christ's work in me through the troubled times in my life.  Sure I would pray and cry about the circumstances but deep down I knew and Christ knew that "I" was trying to figure MY way out of the circumstances and not HIS way.  I wanted a worldly peace, not the peace that Christ would place in me if I would just surrender my stubborn (and I do mean stubborn) will to Him.  That peace of God which is difficult to understand is a protection for my heart and mind (Philippians 4:7.) Sadly, a few 2x4* situations have had to occur in my life to remind me that my faith is to be in Christ and not myself or anything else around me.  I am to place Him first in my life.  If my actions do not spring forth from that faith in Christ then I am the one who has sinned (Romans 14:23.)

Read that verse in John again.  Christ didn't say that our lives would be easy.  He said He would provide us with peace and that we should take comfort in knowing that He's taken care of things for His followers.  Sometimes I need to kick myself and say:

Darn it!  Stop getting in His way!  He's got this.  Let Him be in the lead.  Step back!  Seriously, woman, what are you putting your faith in today?  Get down on your knees and beg for forgiveness.  Stop trying to be in control.  Hand over the issue / problem / choice to Him and leave it with Him!

My life in Christ is not meant to be the world's vision of perfection.  My life is to be in Christ, seeking His will, knowing that He is there to help me accomplish it.  Fulfilling His will is often done through trying circumstances, unpleasant losses, and painful situations.

The following are a few more verses that remind us from where our strength is to come; where we should seek sanctuary at all times, not just when things are troubling.  Read these verses thoughtfully, please.

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us... Our help is in the name of the LORD who made heaven and earth.  Psalm 124: 2-3, 8

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  Isaiah 43:1b-2


It is the LORD who goes before you.  He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you.  Do not fear or be dismayed.  Deuteronomy 31:8

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.  In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:12-13.

No, in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death or life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8: 37-39.

Knowing that I can find strength and sanctuary in Christ doesn't mean that I should go out and do stupid things; that I should put my faith in something other than Christ.  Paul is pretty clear about this: What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?  By no means!  Romans 6:15.  I really like how the King James Version says the last part: God forbid!  Here's my paraphrase for this verse and it should be read with lots of sarcasm.  "Really?!  You think that because He has done and will do all of these wonderful things for you, you think it's okay, that it is acceptable to go out and continue to live as though He's done nothing for you.  Please go have your heart examined because you really don't understand what Christ's love for you is."

Lord, please examine my heart today.  Forgive me for my lack of faith in You in ALL circumstances that come into my life.  Forgive me for not putting You first in all that I do because I have really messed up a good friendship with these bad choices.  I pray that I will put You first every day in all that I do.  I pray that the friendships You desire for me will grow with You in the center.  Lord, thank you for the strength and sanctuary You provide in all situations and for Your grace that has allowed me to live to this point today.  Amen

Sister Jane
Romans 14:8

*2x4 moments are not real pieces of wood hitting me upside the head but maybe they should be.  These are times when God has had to point out that I wasn't putting Him first in my life.  Sometimes I believe He has done this through job losses, financial difficulty, and relationship struggles.  I pray that they will be few but I know that when they do happen it's because I had a lesson to learn or a lesson to continue to practice in putting Him first in all things.

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ps: Some creature photos to share with you!

Someone decided to snuggle close and take a nap while I worked on this blog post.  :)

Another cute sleeping pose I just had to share!  Someone loves his momma.  :)

Frank / Francine enjoying what was left of the corn roll.  October 2012

Keeping His Promise

If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules,

if they violate my statues and do not keep my commandments, 

then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes,

but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness.

I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

Psalm 89: 30-34

"Promises, promises, promises."  I think we all have either said this phrase or heard this phrase before.   It certainly isn't a positive one.  We say it when we don't believe that someone will keep their promise to do something.  It hurts when people don't keep their promises.  Keeping a promise can be really hard.  Sometimes we promise to do something without realizing the true cost of that promise.

In Scripture God's promises were often called covenants.  There are many covenants in Scripture, but  I do not intend this post to be an in-depth analysis of covenant theology.  Why? Because I'm not qualified to do so and because that's not the purpose of this post.  If you are interested I do encourage you to do your own Biblical study of God's covenants in Scripture. I know that I'm likely to leave out some important scriptures and not say enough about a particular covenant so please remember that this is a blog post and not a thesis or a book.  I plan to share what God wants me to share.  :)

Take a look again at the scripture at the beginning of this post.  Throughout the Old Testament, God created covenants with His people where He would provide for them if and when they fulfilled their part of the covenant.  When they didn't fulfill their end of the "bargain" God kept His promises by following through with punishment.  As you read through the Old Testament period after Solomon was king, you notice that punishment didn't always come through immediately.  God sent prophets to warn the people of their disobedience, to remind them to follow God's laws.  Sometimes the people repented.  "For great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do according to all that is written in this book." 2 Chronicles 34: 21

Unfortunately, most of the time the people didn't repent and God responded with the bad consequences as promised in His covenant.  "The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.  But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy." 2 Chronicles 36:15-16.  At one point many people in Jerusalem were killed and those left alive were captured and taken to Babylon.  "[The king of the Chaldeans] took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servant to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths.  All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years." 2 Chronicles 36:20-21.

What I want to point out is that God kept His promises.  Good consequences were given when the people kept their part of the covenant.  When they didn't, then bad consequences were the result.  God never said "well, they didn't uphold their end of the bargain so I'm not going to uphold mine."  He kept His end of the "bargain" no matter what.

I find studying the Old Testament covenants to be an interesting thing.  Seeing God's hand at work through all of the promises made by both God and His people, promises kept by both God and His people, and promises not kept by His people is thought provoking.  Add to this a review of the New Covenant and you cannot but be amazed at how cool God is!

If you payed attention to the wording in the Old Testament covenants, you noticed that there are a lot of "if...then" statements.  "If my people will... then I will..."  While covenants were rooted in God, they were still conditional.  The people had a part to play, they had a responsibility to obey in order to receive the good consequences.  Switch over to the New Covenant and you find a change.  "...I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be my people...For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." Hebrews 8:10,12.

Notice that there are no "if...then" statements in the New Covenant.  All of the statements are "I will"!  To quote my Scofield: "The New Covenant rests upon the sacrifice of Christ and secures the eternal blessedness of all who believe.  It is absolutely unconditional and, since no responsibility is by it committed to man, it is final and irreversible." 



To quote a friend "WOW!"  This is powerful stuff.  This covenant does not rest of me.  Good thing because I'm not perfect.  But Jesus is and this covenant rests in Him and on His sacrifice on the cross.

He will not violate His covenant, His promise.  This is powerful!  When God promises something, He keeps His promise.  He will not forget it either.   "He remembers His covenant forever..." Psalm 105:8

One's faith, hope, and trust should not be on each other because we cannot keep our promises.  We try to keep the promises we make.  God does not need to "try" to keep a promise.  He will always keep His promises.   "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

Where have you placed your faith?  I hope it is in the One who keeps His promises!

Sister Jane

Romans 14:8

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Creature Update:

Frank has become very friendly but can you blame him.  I'm the nice person who feeds him almonds which are much tastier than other seeds or corn.  I had him almost eating out of my hand back in August, when the above picture was taken.  Yes, he still has the bad habit of climbing the screen.  I'm hoping that he gets that habit out of his system quickly.

 Isn't he just adorable?

A Frank Update

Dear Sisters,

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything new for the Convent.  Sure, I have excuses for being absent but they aren't good ones.  I've pulled my resources together today, made a pot of tea, and have sat down to update the Convent calendar. Won't you join me for a cup of tea?

As of the publishing of this post, the October Prayer and Bible Reading Calendar has been updated.  I'm spending some time going back and filling in the scriptures for previous months because I want the calendar to be complete.  I also don't want to have to update these calendar items next year so I'm tweaking the settings to do a yearly repeat.  How does your tea taste? 

I've been deep in thought about some things lately.  The stress at my day job has been high and unfortunately I've been one of the complainers too.  Technology seems to be dying all around me: work computer died, my dvd player died, and my personal laptop is limping along.  Is your tea too hot or too cold or just right?

I'm missing my friends who live in another state and even the friends that live in this state.  Facebook helps a little bit with keeping up with events in my friends lives but it's my own fault for failing to initiate the contact with them to see how they are doing.  I stepped out of my usual modus operandi to contact those people I've been missing to see how they are doing.  I had some good conversations with them via text which helped me feel better and provided me with some good prayer items that I can take to the Lord on their behalf.  Do you need a little sugar for your tea?

There is one friend that I've tried to have a conversation with but it hasn't happened.  I've sent texts.  Sometimes I get a short response while other times I get no response at all.  I know that something isn't okay on their end and I fear that it's because of something I have said that was interpreted incorrectly.  I've prayed about it along with asking for the conviction of the Holy Spirit if I have in anyway sinned against this person.  I don't believe that I have but I know that something has upset this person.  I am aware that they have a lot going on in their life currently, some of it based on things in the present while other things are based on events in the past.  I continue to place this person in the Lord's hands because I can't do anything else for them.  I also know that for my own sanity and emotional well-being I can't let their problems and lack of contact pull me down into their depressionary pit.  I have my own depressionary pits with which to deal.  I pray that someday there will be a conversation that clears the air and we can move forward in the direction that God wants our friendship to proceed (Philippians 3:13-14).  Would you like a refill of your tea?

I've been struck with the conviction to forgive lately.  This came through especially today with a lesson that I had to teach to the young ones at church.  The lesson was on the second part of Matthew 6:12 - "...and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors."  Take a moment and think about this verse.  Now go read Matthew 18:21-35.  Seriously, go read it.  I'll wait and sip my tea while you read the passage.

Whatever another person has done to me is so small in comparison to what was required to forgive me and all of us of our sins.  Christ's life had to be taken, His blood had to be spilt to cover all of our sins in order for God's wrath against me to be satisfied.  I have been forgiven so much so I should forgive others for the incredibly big and small things they have done to me.  Because on the scale of things, those things I see as big really aren't big at all.   Consider Luke 7:47 "Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven -- for she loved much.  But he who is forgiven little, loves little."  I have been forgiven so much so not only should I forgive just as much, I should also love much.  Do you have trouble loving others and forgiving them?  If you're having trouble, it's because you are trying to do it in your own strength.  It's not going to work.  True forgiveness and true love for others comes through the power of Christ not ourselves. 

I pray that we will continue to forgive others as God has forgiven us and to love others with a great love because of the forgiveness that we have received.

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea.  Would you like to stay for another cup?  I made a fresh pot. :)

Sister Jane
Romans 14:8

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Now for the animal Frank update: My parents don't have any grandchildren so they dote on their grand "cats" instead (these are the Convent cats).  They've also decided to help with supplying treats for Frank.  The corn cobs came from them while I dashed off to the store to buy a cob holder to hold them.  I have my eye on a different kind of squirrel feeder but I need to save up for that one.  All I can say is that the Franks and Francines of the area are enjoying the treats.  The original Frank is still the friendliest of them all.  :)

Process and Inspiration

Dear Sisters,

So.  I've had a post in the works for about a week.  This post is not that post.  The work on that post is what has created this post.

As I read through Scripture I ask God to speak to my heart about things He wants me to know and apply to my life.  I seek His inspiration in my life from His Word.  Sometimes that inspiration leads to a blog post.  From that inspiration I begin a process of research in Scripture to clearly understand what God wants me to share with others through the blog.  

The process of research may involve dictionaries, my KJV Scofield Bible, and the Strong's Concordance as well as further searching of Scripture and conversations with God about what He's wants to say through me.  I then plot out the post because I don't like them to appear disorganized and I want His Message to come through clearly.  Now, I know that God can take a mess that I assemble and create meaning through it for the person reading it.  I just don't like written pieces to be disjointed if I can avoid it. 

The final part of the process of course includes writing down the post and praying that God will use it the way He wants to use it.  The writing part is where I'm currently stuck in the process of that post. 

Why?  Because God has been providing more inspiration!  My scripture readings keep bringing up more and more verses that I could use in that post.  Recent worship songs at church and songs I've heard on the radio have also inspired.  

I just felt the need to share that God can inspire us in many different ways.  He is so awesome that way.  I am a process person; I enjoy the creating of things and can find it annoying at times when that process is delayed.  Truly, I haven't liked waiting this long to complete that post but God is asking me to sit back and wait for more inspiration from Him.  Waiting isn't easy but if I rush it, I don't think His Message will be what He wants it to be.

To all of my process Sisters out there, be patient.  Maybe God wants to inspire you even more so that's why it's taking longer for  you to complete the process you currently have in mind.  Please continue to seek His direction in your process and be open to His inspiration.

Sister Jane

Romans 14:8

A Quiet Place

But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray.  Luke 5:16.

And after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray... Matthew 14:23.

...He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed.  Mark 1:35

If you've been with the Sisters in their challenge, you know that we just passed the 3 month mark.  Personally I'm about a week behind but I'm quickly getting back on track.  Have you fallen behind as well?  It's okay if you have.  Are you still making an effort to meet the challenge?  I hope so.

This brings me to my topic of focus for this post: do you have a quiet place in which you can meet the challenge?

During my recent scripture readings, I noticed in Luke that it said that Jesus withdrew to desolate places and prayed.  The word "desolate" struck me as an interesting word to use.  Reading through the Bible again in the ESV has introduced me to different words than my previous readings in the KJV.  As I researched for more verses on this theme in both the ESV and KJV I found the word "desolate" used both times in the ESV but in the KJV, the words used were "wilderness" and "solitary."  My curiosity was piqued so I pulled out my concordance* to see if the words in the KJV had the same or different root word in Greek.  According to what I found, the Greek word for both "wilderness" and "solitary" was eremos - meaning lonesome, wasteland, desert, desolate.  Interesting.

Jesus chose to separated Himself when He was deep in prayer.  He became solitary.  He didn't bring His disciples with Him.  They may have been nearby but Jesus chose a place where He wouldn't be distracted; where He could completely focus on communing with God the Father.

Imagine a desolate place in your head.  Describe that place.  What does it look like?  What does it sound like?  To me a desolate place is one doesn't have a lot of visual distractions.  A desert fits this definition for me.  Yes, deserts have great natural beauty, that I do not deny.  But my vision of a desert doesn't have a television playing in the background.  The desolate place I have imagined is basically quiet as well.  Oh, there's the hum of the fan and the sounds of the cats as they walk around the convent but I don't have the radio on nor the tv.  To me a desolate place is one with few visual and auditory distractions. 

Now that we've described desolate for ourselves, let's see what the dictionary says:

Webster's Definition of Desolate:

1: devoid of inhabitants and visitors : deserted

2: joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful through or as if through separation from a loved one <a desolate widow> 

3a : showing the effects of abandonment and neglect : dilapidated <a desolate old house> b : barren,  lifeless <a desolate landscape> c : devoid of warmth, comfort, or hope : gloomy <desolate memories>

I do not disagree with the second and third definitions of desolate but I do not believe that our quiet places should fit those definitions.  We should find joy in our quiet place.  We are not separated from our loved One; we are closer to Him and falling deeper in love with Him while in our quiet place.  If we do not have regular time in our quiet place our spiritual life will definitely show the effects of neglect.  Our quiet place should provide us with comfort and hope.

I want my quiet place to be one where I can focus on what God is trying to tell me.  If I'm distracted by motion or sound, then I can't listen to Him and His message for me.   

Everyone's quiet place is different.  Sometimes mine is on the couch with no tv or radio; only the additional presence of the convent cats.   Many times my quiet place is sitting up in bed, propped up with pillows for my time of prayer and scripture reading.  For some, their quiet place might be the rocking chair on the porch or the comfy chair in the sitting room.  It could even be driving in the car.  I had a job one time that required about a half an hour of travel each way by highway.  I tended to spend most of my drives home just pouring out my heart to God, telling Him about my day and asking for His advice and help.  Honestly I miss those long drives.  One's quiet place varies for everyone.

Just as the place varies from person to person, I know that the time of one's quiet place also varies from person to person.  I know there are some who declare that one must always go to their quiet place in the morning.  Yes, there are examples in scripture of those who would go to their quiet place in the morning.  Maybe they were morning people and the fog quickly lifted from their brains allowing them to seek God's face clearly in the morning.  Some of us, well, we aren't morning people. There are also examples of night owls in scripture.  Personally, my quiet place is best visited in the evening.  For me it is the way of shedding all of the day's troubles, mistakes, and sins and handing them over to God.  Scripture talks about not going to bed angry (Ephesians 4:26) so I feel it's best for me to go to my quiet place before I go to bed so I can have a restful sleep and wake up ready to follow God's will for me the next morning.  I'm not guaranteeing a restful sleep** just because one prays at night, but if I've cast all of my cares on God before sleeping and I remember to leave those cares in His hands, about what do I need to worry?

Please find your quiet place; create it if you need to.  Just be sure to visit it on a regular basis.  :)

Sister Jane

Romans 14:8

* Yep, I'm still that girl who has a Strong's Concordance in her library.
**Personally, I need to be sure to lay off sugar in the evenings.  I get the weirdest dreams when I indulge my sweet tooth.  :)