Being with God

We had a discussion last night about what it means to know God intimately. So often we know about God, but it can be harder to enjoy being with God.

I struggle with this as it always seems to be more important to be doing something rather than 'nothing'. It's interesting that we refer to being still and resting as doing nothing. I actually think that God wants us to 'waste' time with him rather than rush off to our next urgent task. Even when I think about my time with God, I focus on the practicalities of what I'm going to read or what I want to say/pray about. I'm not suggesting that those things aren't good, but I don't want to forget to listen and be still, enjoying the time that the God of the Universe has for me.

There is space for different sorts of times in relationships. Sometimes there needs to be agendas, progress, working things out. Sometimes it is time to laugh, have fun, welcome others and enjoy community. Sometimes it is pleasant to sit and be and enjoy the presence of those we love. I love to look out the window and drink in the sight of my family playing or talking. I cherish those moments and am glad that I am here experiencing them. I want to feel like that about my times with God. There have been times when that has been true, but there have also been times when I treat God like another chore I need to get done, in order to get on with the next one.

“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalm 46:10

Comfort Women WWII

War is a complicated, messy, tragic business. There doesn't appear to be any winners when we consider conflicts of the last 200 years (probably the last 2000, but I don't know enough to comment wisely). Even armies who have 'won' bear scars and lose people.

Amnesty International have a campaign running currently to try to raise awareness of the women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers during world war 2.

It's simple to get on their website and create a butterfly like this one (I made this one tonight). The campaign is clear and specific and made me consider a group caused to suffer immensely by war, who are intended to remain silent and ashamed - forgotten. There must be millions of women and children around the world in just the same position in current and recent conflicts.

So go to www.amnesty.org.au/comfort and make a butterfly.

Snatching a moment

My mind is bubbling with ideas and plans at the moment. It is an effort to slow it down to write a post. The nagging sense that I have missed or forgotten something lurks at the corner of my consciousness. Maybe that's just because I forgot to tell my husband about plans for friends to come for dinner until ten minutes before their arrival, tonight. Maybe its because I've forgotten to go to bed, yet.

The dilemma* that I am faced with this evening is that I want to take time to reflect, but I fill my time so that I run out of time to think. Late at night I sit down at the computer and what would take me 5 minutes at midday, takes me fifty minutes at midnight.

This is as far as I can get tonight. I'll be back to continue later...

*I use 'dilemma' advisedly. My dilemma lies somewhere on the importance spectrum between identifying a song on the radio with my iPod and the inability of the world to abolish hunger despite an abundance of food.