Hey all!
So it's been a little while......
I'm in Traverse City, MI with my family for a few days and I have some time, so I thought I'd tell you about my vacation.
The road trip was wonderful. Angie and I had a marvelous time. We left really early (5a.m.) and made good time all the way back to Michigan. Thanks SO much for your prayers! I know they made all the difference. It was a great trip.....good memories, and it was nice to spend some quality time with Angie.
When we got back to good old Spring Arbor, my grandparents were at the house! It was wonderful to spend time with my whole family (except Nana...Dad's mom, she was dearly missed!) We had an action packed week of shopping, eating, talking, wrapping and having fun. We had a "fake Christmas" (phrase coined by Alicia) on Thursday the 20th with Nanny and Grandpa. I got a blender and some pots and pans (among many other wonderful gifts!) I'm told that getting excited about a blender is the beginning of a new phase of life.
Jeremy got home the day after I did....it was SO good to spend time with him! We had a lot of fun spending time with his family and with my family. In fact, I danced at my church on Christmas Eve, and Jeremy along with his mom, dad (Sue, Jeff), brother (Justin) and soon-to-be-sister (Laura) all came to watch. Then we had our annual Christmas Eve get together at the house.....so much fun!
It was wonderful to visit my friends too! Some I had seen at Thanksgiving, others I hadn't seen since June! It was SO nice to be home and to hang out with everyone.
All in all, I've been spending a lot of time with the people that are important to me.....except one.
I have to be honest, I've neglected Jesus. Why is it that it's so easy to do my devotions when I'm in the routine of it, but as soon as things change, I squeeze God out? He should be the one I depend on ALL the time.....not just when I feel like I "need" him. I feel "unplugged" for lack of a better word. It's like, when I'm in my normal routine, I'm plugged in, I'm getting energy.....He is my strength, the power behind everything I do. When I'm on vacation, it's like I trade my power cord for a battery pack. I use the energy that I've been saving up, but I'm not getting anything new. I'm doing good things, and making good choices because I know I should, but I'm doing them in my own strength. The thing about a battery pack is that it runs out. Instead of being connected to the power source, I've been trying to run on batteries, and the batteries are burnt out. I can feel the lack of time spent with the Father. It's a weird feeling. I just feel cut off, disconnected....it's the feeling I get when I don't talk with my best friends for a few days, and it's sad. It's especially frustrating because I KNOW what to do, I just haven't done it.
Thankfully, there is grace. God is good. He's always waiting for me to come back. And I can't stand being away any longer....it's painful. I need to get back into my daily walks with the Lord. I can see where most Christians get stuck in a rut. If you're just doing life everyday, kids, husband/wife, job, church, friends, bills, vacations......it's easy to squeeze God out. What does it take to move past this stage where my quiet times are inconsistent (and based on my circumstances to some degree)...and to get to the point where I can't live without them? That's where I want to be.
Accountability is key for this kind of thing....and a bit of will power/self control....and most importantly a lot of grace and conviction from the Holy Spirit.
-Julie
P.S. If you want some GREAT reading, I highly recommend this sequence of "rhyming words." I'm sure you will be challenged, and your perspective will be changed by reading the Bible from this point of view.
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