How Might I Waste Time With God?

Good morning…

Yesterday’s post highlighted a life-giving email from a friend. Her additional notes continue to shape me, calm me, guide me.

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3 Things To Do When Overwhelmed – notes from lecture by Trevor Hudson, 3/7/19

1) Consider the flood and Noah’s Ark: When an overwhelming flood comes, Noah builds an ark with great attention to its shape.

2) Our lives are shaped better by questions than by answers. Life-shaping questions take us into a conversational relationship with God.

3) When overwhelmed by our own floods in life, here are some questions to ponder:

a. In the midst of my overwhelmings, how do I nourish the community of parts in my heart? Who holds the space for me without trying to fix me? What spiritual disciplines (journaling, silence and solitude, Scripture reading, meditation, prayer, fasting, simplicity, fellowship) might best nurture my soul?

b. How do I stay attentive to the deepest longings and desires of my heart? Do not leave your personal longings unattended (like the airport warning – do not leave your baggage unattended).

c. How do I nurture intimacy in my friendship with the Lord? One of these is the practice of excess (ex. sleep as long as you want). Waste time with God. We may not be able to do it everyday, but this practice of excessive time with God becomes especially important when we feel overwhelmed.

d. How can I keep energy flowing into my body? What gives me energy?

e. How do I keep my life open to positive overwhelmings? Might I take time to be overwhelmed by gratitude, beauty, goodness, truth, kindness, nature, art?

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If our lives are shaped better by questions than by answers, what questions live deep in your heart right now? Are you willing to waste excessive time with God, pondering what’s most important to you in this season of life?

…if you seek God, your God, you’ll be able to find him if you’re serious, looking for him with your whole heart and soul. When troubles come and all these awful things happen to you, in future days you will come back to God, your God, and listen obediently to what he says. God, your God, is above all a compassionate God (Deuteronomy 4:29-30, MSG).

…Sue…