Day 2: Who has time for a schedule anyway?

It  is now 8:50 am. My cat is cuddling on my lap as I rest in bed. I'm only on the second day of trying to figure out how to make spiritual habits that work for my unique needs, and the schedule already feels thrown out the window. 

I'm trying to remind myself that this is life, this chaos of things to do, people to talk to, so many distractions and thoughts and feelings. I'm making the choice to take time now for my spiritual feasting, even if it doesn't follow the schedule I originally set out. 

For today's study I'm back in Woman of the Word. The scripture in 2 Tim 3:17 struck me: "That the [woman] of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." That's what this spiritual education is about. I want to be complete and equipped to handle this life. I know that if I can unlock a combination of prayer and scripture study that allows me to gain understanding from God, He will prepare me for the life he wants me to lead.  

So, I just read in chapter 1, Turnaround 1: Let the Bible Speak of God.

I feel like this section was written for me. The scriptures are about God. Of course they are! I know that....and yet, when I go to the scriptures it is frequently in a self-focused way. I am looking for comfort FOR ME. I am looking for direction FOR ME. I'm looking to be reassured, to be spoken to as if I was the center of the story. 

New flash: I'm not the center of the story. 

But God, and His son, Jesus Christ can become the center of my story. 

What kind of  a life would that be? 

It seems like it would be a life filled with Their peace. It would be a life in which the little embarrassments and challenges that I come up against would be anchored with God's plan, with God's will, with God's might. It seems like it would be pretty impossible to be swayed by worldly arguments if Jesus was the center of my story. It seems like it would be easier to give freely, to love without fear, to find joy. I think I want a life in which God is the center of my story. I think I want to learn how to read the scriptures to learn all about God rather than to learn about myself. I think I can trust that as His daughter, the best way to understand who I am is to know who He is. 

I'm excited! Exodus 3:14: I AM WHO I AM. My goal is to come to know Jehovah, the great I AM. 

I love this quote from this section: "The knowledge of God and the knowledge of self always go hand in hand. In fact, there can be no true knowledge of self apart from the knowledge of God. He is the only reference point that is reliable." 

Now to go enjoy some time in prayer and meditation, and maybe even writing in my journal!