Lately, I have not been able to enjoy my beloved patio to have my quiet times. After I prayed and received this blessing, not but a few weeks later did my neighborhood start building more houses. It is hard to concentrate with banging of nails and cement trucks. . .
So, this morning I decided to beat the construction workers. I got my coffee, my bible and journal, and rushed out to the patio. I sit down, and what do I hear? The garbage truck.
That got me thinking about distraction. It is interesting how I can multitask in the classroom so easily with my students. Students can be behind me and I can tell who and what they are doing while helping another student. It is actually a bit amusing when I call out the student behind me. They are shocked. I guess that is why they say teachers have eyes in the back of our heads. I guess it is sort of a 6th sense??
But when I sit down to have my quiet time, read, or write, I can't concentrate. I think about things I need to do during the day, questions I need to ask or answer others, noises or words around me.
I was watching Dr. Oz yesterday and he was talking about how "bad" foods clutter your arteries. It makes you feel tired and yucky, but we can get so used to it that it is not as noticeable. So, what does that have to do with quiet time? I feel like I ingest so much of the "world"; thoughts, sounds, words. . . that it begins to clutter my mind. After a while, I get numb to the fact that my mind is not very clear. I need "good food" to help cleanse my mind and unclog it.
When I sit on the patio, the sounds of the birds is one "good food" for me. It reminds me of how creative God is. The calls of the birds sound different, they are different shapes and sizes, yet they are still birds. The sky is another "good food". Watching the changing colors, the clouds slowly move and change shape. It is awing. My creator is peaceful and can do so much more than I can imagine.
Once, I get some of that "good food", I can more easily transition to reading or writing more "good food". By the end of my meal, I can tell that my mind is more at ease and clear.
If it is so good for me/us, then why don't we do it more often? Well, I love food and wonder the same about my diet. I have been praying and asking God to help me with my regular diet (food). I have lost maybe 20 pounds in the last 6 months. I say it is because I am so excited, but I know deep down that God helped to curb my appetite and give me motivation to eat better food. If God can help me with my body, I know he would LOVE to help me with my mind. The mind is connected to the heart, and the heart is God's target.
Thank you God for being the Drano of my mind and heart.
It is so cool that you have inlcuded this in your blog. I too changed my diet with the help of God. I replaced my bad eating habits (mostly at night) with reading my bible and becoming more emersed in the word. I have lost over 45 pounds since August. It's amazing how awesome God is and how much He can be included in every aspect of our lives.
ReplyDelete