Staying Connected to God in my Madness

by Lizzy Ainsworth

Analogies help me, perhaps you too?   Unlike their rhyming partner allergies, these stories help me paddle my canoe a bit further upstream in a river taking us the other direction.

Marriage, that’s the analogy today and relationships. . . ours with God and others.

The early morning Proverb, like a quick kiss to your darling as they walk out the door for work.  A connection for later.

Communication ebbs and flows between humans, like our prayers to God . . . praying without ceasing.  About everything, the baby, the driving, the shopping, the others, the mundane and exciting . . . LIFE.

But we need that time, the quality . . . time, that cements a relationship.  Discussions about the future because prayer is not a monologue, not just us, but us and Him, answering, conversing together giving purpose, direction, ideas, answers, birthing compassion for others.

Time to read the Word, cut through the grease on our stove tops, the hearts that get polluted.  Give it time to bubble and fizz away at the junk.

And the worship; a place of intimacy.   Dance before your Maker.  Rest there a minute.

This used to be the view from my deck . . .

I wrote this little dance of words back in summer last year, summer of Australia, the gums graceful and arching casting shadows on my deck, and I've moved since then and the seasons have changed, I'm partway through winter, and my routine has changed too.  I'm trying to start a new one . . . again, but it's ebbing and flowing too.  So don't feel bad if your routine changes.  When I was younger I used to think they could be set in concrete and you just would spend that time with GOD IN THE MORNING NO MATTER WHAT!  And now I'm a Mama and I know differently, it's not always that easy.   I look back and realise the only time my routine has been concrete was when I had a job as a 20 year old and I had to get up and get there on time even in winter, those mornings I've since always slept in on.    So I'm sharing here what my routine was, and then what it now is.  Remember Seasons Change.

Summer 2013

For me, I read my Proverb in the morning, the one chapter corresponding with the date.  My Sanity Manifesto. Word In. Work Out. Work Plan and then later when the madness ceases, a rest in the afternoon, lying by the baby, sucking deep in her sleep.  My read rest, a tradition birthed long ago in our family of the kids lying on beds for half an hour to read and rest in the afternoon while Mum catches her breath, and I read the Word and rest and worship, quietly.  I’m working my way through the ‘Word for Today’.  Gives me some direction and if you’re diligent you can read through the Bible in a year.

And prayer?  The toilet door, traditionally the spot where the times tables line up in rows and numbers, a place of memory and now spirituality with it’s memory verses, the prayer lists of the persecuted, the nations, the pastors, the needs, the families and I pray while nature takes its course. Pray without ceasing.  I’ve tried writing them in books, pasting them in wardrobes and tucking them under a transparent tablecloth but at all those locations I’m busy, quick but there on the ‘throne’ I can think and PRAY.

Winter 2014
The baby is still in my bed, and it's much warmer and snugglier to lie there and pray some, (most) mornings than get up, but I am trying.  I've written myself out a list of little things that might help me get up and going in the mornings.   
Like a Good Morning List, pinned to the fridge with all those others, with these handy clips I found at Crazy Clarks.   And a goodnight list on the opposite side, so that I've got everything organised for the morning.   
I'll tell you though, a good list is over at Kat Lee's Inspired to Action, with her e-book Maximise Your Mornings.  
For my exercise inspiration, I've been dancing with the tambourine like I normally do, keeps me in good shape for teaching my dance class on Fridays and gets the heart rate pumping, plus some stretches and muscle toning from Suzanne Bowen Fitness.  I need to find some diastasis healing exercises to add to my notepad from Fit2Be.
What's your routine?  Does it change constantly like mine?  I'll be doing a little post soon about Busy Mum's Spending Time with God for Mum's in all seasons of life.

 

 

Spring 2015

 

And now these days when toddler goes down for her 2 hr nap in the arvo, I try and dedicate time to God.  This year I'm 'rebuilding the ancient ruins', or rebuilding the gaps in my theology.  I've been reading books on God's love, Communion, being connected into the Vine and Bearing the Right Fruit in the Right Season, and Prayer, and the word too.  I've been focusing on Ephesians and praying it over myself and gradually receiving God's revelation of His love.    My new prayer routine is really helping me be thorough in praying for my family, something that's never happened before and as a result I'm seeing changes in lives, and I'm also learning the power of declarations, like: I declare that  . . . . . will become a mighty man/woman of God and not miss their destiny.

 

How we spend time with God in one season is going to look different than it will in other seasons, and how one Mum spends time with God is going to be different to how another will,

as I discovered when I interviewed 9 Mums, and they shared how they spent time with God.

 

What's your journey with God? 

How has the communication ebbed and flowed and the seasons changed? 

Will you share and add richness to this story, and inspire me and others of God's faithfulness.

Linking up at: Arabah Joy