Quiet Places

Today I woke up to our cat tapping me on my face with her paw, her way of asking me to get up and feed her.  The second attempt in doing this got me out of bed.  I realized that I needed to hit the golf course and try to get  back before everyone got up.  This is a regular routine for me each day and when I don't set the alarm, a kitty of ours has her alarm set in getting me out of bed.  

I find my time on the golf course walking by myself is very beneficial in that it gives me time to pray and praise God.  My everyday concerns and worries seem to wash away, then I find myself becoming more relaxed as well.  My mind seems to clear and my perspective is more inline with that of a follower of Christ.  The times that I don't do this I seem to struggle with the cares of the day.  

In reading in Luke this morning I came across the scripture of Martha complaining to Jesus about her sister Mary not helping her prepare the meal for Christ and the rest of his followers.  His reply was not what Martha was expecting, "You are worried and upset about many things. . ."  Jesus was telling Martha that the cares of this world can be put into perspective if we look to him for guidance and trust Jesus for the outcome.  I have found that the hard part is giving it over to him, I always want to take it back.  I have realized then that I am not trusting in Jesus to handle these difficult challenges facing me.  Sometimes I don't want to let my problems go, I would rather hold on to them, while at other times I am not certain what I am to give to Jesus and what my responsibility is.  The more that I stress and fret over the problem, I seem to get more confused and overwhelmed by it.  

For many us we have our quiet places that we can go to and pray and gain perspective.  For me it is going out to the golf course around sunrise by myself, or walking through our woods near our house and sometimes perhaps, as I am doing right now, sitting on our porch near the flowers that we planted and watching the wildlife nearby.  Today I am sharing this time with Abby as well.  She is lining wild flowers up near the steps of our porch all the while enjoying running back and forth out to the meadow.  Now as I am writing this, she comes nearby me and asks if I would write about her as well.  

I have found that when I do seek the quiet places and times that work in my busy day, it goes well and I am more at peace with the demands that face me.  When I have a difficult time giving my problems to Jesus, I praise him instead and find that my struggles seem to wash off like rain falling from the leaves of a tree.  As I now look out and see Abby picking wild flowers and singing at the top of her lungs, I want to have the same care free life as she has, being a child trusting in her father to take care of her and knowing that life is exciting and full of adventure.  

Have a peace filled day.  Augie