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Quiet Time
by Kasia Kedzia
“Two women looked through prison bars; one saw mud the other saw stars” (author unknown)
Which do you see most days? I guess it depends where you’re looking, right? I am always most inspired by lessons on perspective. That's probably becuase mine gets warped so easily. I think Godly perspective in the every day world is very hard to maintain. All it takes sometimes is one bad moment at the beginning of the day to throw us completely off. It can be something as simple as being caught in traffic, getting a blister from new shoes, or unexpected work being thrown your way when you arrive at the office. Sometimes for me these ‘moments’ tend to be more personal, as in an unreturned phone call, an irritating conversation with a roommate, a bad interaction with a family member. One thing my friend Heather always reminds me of is, “It’s not all about you. You are not that important” That makes me laugh as I completely realize how true it is and I can see that in all of these situations. I can loose perspective by taking things personally and therefore assigning them more meaning then they should really have in my life most often resulting in stupid actions and/or reactions. If I think in terms of Godly perspective I can ask myself, “What will this (whatever this is) matter tomorrow? How about next week? What will it matter next month or next year?” This quickly reels me back in.
Keep cool. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ – eternal and glorious plans they are! – will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does. 1 Peter 5:8-11(The Message)
I can be caught off guard. I can get caught up in myself and others around me, who are living for whatever they can get out of this life, or I can fight for perspective. When 1 Peter5 refers to “hard times” Paul is not talking about unreturned phone calls or vulgar co-workers. He is talking about people being persecuted for their faith and their lives being in danger. He encourages these people to be faithful- to my shame! These people were faithful that God would not let them or their families be tortured, or let them die. How much more faithful should I be about the mundane things that I let distract me every day? So someone won’t stop gossiping or making inappropriate jokes at work, am I standing up for what I believe? I mean come on, I’m not risking my life by doing so. Am I letting one bad interaction or a disappointing situation take away my joy? Often, I can set myself up for disappointment if I don’t have the right perspective. I can walk around all day and just see mud, but all I have to do is raise my eyes to God to see the stars. God does get the last word and he does have a glorious plan for me, it may just take him longer to bring it to completion if I continue to get in his way. And it will take me longer to see it if I refuse to look to him. Isn’t it a wonderful thought that God can sometimes bless us despite us? I have to let go of my expectations and let things and people be as they are and I have to let go of the need to do and simply allow myself to grow and change daily.
You know me inside and out, you hold me together, you never fail to stand me tall in your presence so I can look you in the eye. Ps 41:12(The Message)
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Since those first days, I have made it out of the Projects, finished my Masters degree in International Development, and moved to DC to work in my field. As a young single Christian woman my struggles today are a little different than they were when I first came to know God, but who am I kidding, not much. It's the every day battle for my heart to be pure before God, to strive to please him, and help others to seek and know Him.
Over my years of a faithful walk with God I have received much grace and compassion and have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams. Through out it all one thing has stayed consistent: God's word. Through His word I have been inspired and it has kept me faithful even when faith seemed like a foreign concept and God seemed deaf to my prayers. I started emailing my Quiet Times which helped me stay accountable as I shared my struggles and fought for understanding. Some wrote back and said they too were inspired and could relate. I hope some of my times can help inspire others who are seeking and fighting just like I am, to get to heaven and take as many as possible with me along the way.
Like what your read? Check out my blog: http://stronggirlforlife.wordpress.com/
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