Waking the next morning before dawn, Marcy silently slid out from the covers. Christmas day! The house was quiet and a cup of tea sounded inviting. Moving slowly and quietly through the kitchen, she prepared her cup and her heart a she reached for her Bible.
Sitting down in the old rocking chair at the big picture window, her back to the Christmas tree, her eyes gazed into the dark as her mind contemplated the last few months.
Always under deadline, she never had a moment of peace. A time where she could just sit and think about and pray to God.
Lord, I believe You have called me to this. But how can I have a better balance? I feel like I’ve slipped away from You. Something I never intended.
She reflected on a sermon she had heard a few years before. “We don’t often intend to wander away from God,” the pastor had said, “but we often allow other things to distract us from Him.”
Indeed.
Lord, forgive me. I never meant to become so consumed with school and overwhelmed by the suffering I see. Show me where I should place limits, where I don’t have to do everything. Show me where to carve out time for You. I am so truly sorry.
The last sentiment was accompanied by a single tear trailing her check as the gravity of what she had done began to dawn.
As the day broke and light began to cross the mountain and brush the fields outside the window, her heart lightened as she remembered God’s open arms always available whenever one of His children came running back.
Draw nearer to me and I will draw nearer to you, was his promise in James.
She knew what she needed. A specific time every day to spend some time with God. Rising fifteen minutes earlier would not take a toll on her sleep but she instinctively knew would ground her feet for whatever the day might hold.
She knew she could face anything as long as the Lord went with her.
She also knew she needed to watch herself as she went forward into another semester. It was so easy to focus on all the requirements of school and forget about anything else.
She knew she needed to have someone who would keep her accountable to herself, to her faith, to the life she knew she was called to live as a daughter of the King.
She knew just the friend. A friend who faced the same struggles but had a stronger faith and a gentle heart.
A soft purring filled the air as Marcy felt Taffy brush up against her leg. She stooped over to scoop up the warm cat and settled back into the old rocker. Yes, her heart was light again. She smiled as she determined how next semester would go. In the midst of the classes, the clinicals, and the chaos, she would make time with God each day.
She knew it would make all the difference.