Discipline of time

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12

This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He
has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the
hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I
know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while
they live.
Ecclesiastes 3:10-12

Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Selah
Lowborn men are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie;
if weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
Psalm 62:8-9

As I have been praying for God to give me a Lenten discipline, I have been receiving suggestions from some friends in the blogosphere including LutheranChik and Bald Man Blogging for which I am grateful. I have also been reading Karen Mains' book, Open Heart, Open Home, which I picked up on a whim last week. I have known Karen Mains' name for years, but have never read her work before. This is not fluffy Christian stuff--it is a surprisingly profound book on the the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and hospitality as a spiritual discipline.

She has been challenging me to look at my days in a fresh way. To remember that every moment of every day belongs to God. My home belongs to God. My every breath is God's. Inspired by her deep walk with Jesus, I want to take on a Lenten discipline of time. I don't exactly know how to articulate this, but I want to grow in the use of my minutes and my hours and start each day off giving them back to God. As I start each day, I will pray for God to order my day according to His plan, and I will meditate on scriptures that illuminate God's view of time.

As the day progresses, I will be mindful of how I am spending this precious gift. Instead of just letting things happen, I will seek to be sure that my priorities are in order and that I am not letting my minutes evaporate into nothing. This does not mean that every moment must be busy. On the contrary, I believe I will spend more time in silence, in meditation and in listening to God.

This Lent I want to reflect on my time and my place and hear from God what He would have me do.

Selah.

Micah Girl