One on One

Jennifer piggybacked on a New Jersey bound business trip with Jon, her husband, and  took Catherine her 4 year old, for her birthday, to New York. They stayed with Tom and Rebecka, my son and daughter in law and had a most wonderful time hanging mostly with Rebecka and Emma (age 1) my youngest grand baby.  They were there only a couple of nights but they made every minute count with adventures. Meanwhile, back at home, baby Molly ( age 1)  was content in her routine with the babysitter.  Oh I went and grabbed her between naps, but this was a time I surely was going to take advantage of hanging out with William.   He spent both nights, and we ran errands, voted, swam, went to the Astros Game with Gramps and cousin Blake, and yesterday, as a last adventure before his parents came home, we went on a ride on the Sam Houston Boat. It was a great ending to a fun three days. 

But all this to say, I have regrets about the way I raised my kids, on several fronts, but one in particular is that I did not do enough one on one time them.  My first three were pretty close together and we did most things as a group endeavor. Molly, our 7 year later caboose, has enjoyed many a one on one adventure. But as far as the older ones,  our adventures were fun for sure, and time was a valuable commodity but one I did not carefully allot.  You learn a great deal  about being with a child on a one on one basis. And time spent alone with one of them is quality time that that creates a mutual bonding time of love, appreciation, respect and affection. There are windows that are clear opportunities for us to grab our children or grandchildren, on a one on one basis, even if it is for an ice cream cone or a quick lunch, but we have to make time and allot time for that to happen.  I need to work on that! 

I was thinking about my relationship with Christ.  He has millions of children, yet with each one of them he has allotted time to be with us on a one to one basis.  It is us who are many times to busy to be with him. Oh, but the times I have purposefully sought his way, his wisdom, his strength, and just the security of his presence, are times that have I have cherished. Being with Christ, in the quietness of my heart, does bring about a peace and a security that the flashing lights of worldly whiles tries desperately to distract.

It is in the one on one times in prayer that I feel closest to God; the quiet time, the uninterrupted times, the struggling times, the insecure times, the confused times, the grieving times, the thankful times,  etc.  And I when I make the time to give the time to God,  I am blessed beyond measure.   Who doesn't love to be loved? With Christ, he loves at all times with an unconditional love that has no bounds. He has proven that by example and sacrifice.  Why wouldn't I seek that and make time for that and embrace that?  Just too busy?  If that is the case then it is me who is missing the opportunities that are moment by moment windows for a strong and loving relationship, sprinkled with the perks of peace,  strength, wisdom, grace and encouragement. 

I so enjoyed being with William or as my husband calls any of my grandkids: "my little friends". And I am sure he did to, for how great is it when all the attention is focused on you. I got to see him without being under the influence of others. He wasn't chasing after someone else's desires, or trying to live up to someone else's expectations, or trying to compete for some else's attention. I think that we all are guilty of that at some point.  

Sometimes you just have to step away from the crowd and look within you and figure out who you are when it is just you.

That sounds so simple but I do think that so many times we do things and say things because we are being influenced by others, or what others would think etc.  With God, He already knows the inside scoop of who we are and what our real motives are, and when we take time to be with him, he enables us to be our true selves.  He loves us in spite of our quirks, our mistakes, our opinions, our habits, our idiosyncrasies (that was a hard word to spell) etc.  And he helps us sometimes to see through our masks of our own self deceit, and transform us into the image that he has envisioned.  But we have to be willing to accept the opportunities that he has given us to be with him in prayer on a one on one basis. And not only accept them but seek them. 

Philippians 2

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Dear Lord, what a true blessing we have been given to get to be with you at any time and have your full undivided attention.  

Help us to embrace the opportunity to be with you alone and build upon a relationship of loving you and being loved right back. Amen 

                     

Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!