Take Six: Bread and Floods

This morning I was on my own. Josh was out of town last night for a conference.

BOO!

I learned my lesson from yesterday, and set the alarm. I thought 6 would be a good. For a small window of undisturbed time, I would have to silently, in the shroud of darkness slide out of my bed and tip-toe to my little uncomfortable chair. But even then I didn't have much hope of the kids sleeping through my "quiet prayer" time.

And I was right. After I had been praying 5-7 minutes. I heard the bathroom door creep open and little feet head into the bathroom. I thought, "Well that is that. I'll have to finish this prayer as I'm dealing with them or postpone it and get back to it later in the day." But then, the craziest thing happened. All of them got up, but none of them needed me. Each went to the bathroom on their own. Turn the lights on by themselves. And played quietly together while I spent time breathing and saying the name of my wonderful LORD. He provided for me this morning. He met a big need. He got me up, and then He gave me the space to meet Him.

Who knew He could actually make space happen?

During my praying something new came up as well. As I was praying...Breathe in, Jesus. Breathe out, Jesus. I began to experience the prayer in a new way. When I would breathe in and say Jesus, I would imagine taking the word into my heart and body as I took the breathe in. I thought about how the breathe came into my being and nourished me, and how the name of Christ came in and nourished me as well. Almost like delicious bread or a needed embrace, I imaged the name of Jesus coming my body and soul and healing me.

When I would exhale, I starting thinking about how the name of Jesus goes out into the world and renews it. As I breathed out and said Jesus, I imagined His name washing over Hickory and our nation, filling in the hurt and broken spaces where sin has ravaged lives. I thought about my home and my family, and breathed out His name for them. I thought about campuses and InterVarsity staff I love and breathed out for them. I thought about others who need Christ to embrace them, who need healing and grace and breathed out for them. I ended my time thinking about myself, and I breathed out the name of Jesus for me.

It was a good morning. When time came around for me to finished, I found myself sad to be done.

It was a great morning.