Bring It On

Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." Exodus 33:18

If you had told me when we first started studying Exodus that we would learn so much, I would have laughed at you. I knew we would enjoy the study, and would pick up a thing or two, but by golly, Exodus has truly been amazing to go over. Moses truly is an example to model after, and we can take to heart all the lessons learned by the Israelite people, because they still apply today! This one sentence today from Moses says so much to me this morning, because these last few weeks have been such a time of learning for me.

I've finally been able to let go. While I have been diligently reading my Bible daily since I started this blog, and praying as needs came up, there was something still missing, something that I was afraid of. I was afraid to get close to God and open myself up, I was afraid to just spend some quiet time with Him and worship Him and adore Him. Part of me was afraid because who knows what will come to light when there is nothing between God and myself. Part of me was afraid because I worried about what God would tell me. Would He really tell me to pack up our belongings and move to a foreign place? Would He tell me to do something within the church that I really didn't want to do. It was such a scary thought, this intimacy with God. Just saying the word intimacy is scary! And I guess that part of me was also worried that I would, in actuality, become a Jesus freak.

I'm laughing a bit about that now, because I guess that I am a Jesus freak, and that's not such a bad thing. As Andy has been working out of town again, God placed a time on my heart to spend with Him. I was always looking to morning as my answer, but could never let it go. My children rise with the sun, to wake even earlier meant a lot earlier to spend time with God. And then there was also the idea of limiting God's time to a portion of the morning instead of just letting it happen. So just over two weeks ago I did something I said I would never do. I turned off the TV. Completely. The kids went to bed, I turned off the TV, and I turned my eyes to God and said "show me Your Glory" just as Moses did. By spending my time with God in the evening, I wasn't giving it a time limit, and I liked that idea. I could focus on Him and just let what happened happen, and sometimes I spend a good 3 hours just praising His name, sometimes it's shorter. But the point is, I'm doing it.

You have no idea how difficult this was for me to do. I love my time in the evening watching tv, it's relaxing, and I love, love, love some reality shows like Survivor. So of course, as I am turning off the Tv and making the choice for God, I start hearing rumblings about the best episodes ever, and part of me is oh, so tempted to just skip that one hour and catch up. *smile* Except that I haven't. I haven't even checked the DVR to see that it recorded! Monday morning I saw online who won, smiled, read the re-cap and I really didn't feel like I missed a thing because My God is better. My God is worth every single episode of Survivor in the future.

I don't know how long this 'no tv' thing will last. When Andy is home on the weekends he joins me, and we really are finding that time together to be special, and he is really missing it while he is out of town. Next week we could feel that sense of urgency gone, but right now, I spend all day looking forward to my time with God. He's changing me. Every night when I curl up in bed I am a different person than I was earlier in the day. These last few weeks have been amazing. My days are full of energy and accomplishment, and my evenings are full of glory. God is truly amazing, and I feel like I don't want to miss a second of it.

And that intimacy that I was so afraid of...it's like a drug. I can't get enough of Him. I wish there were more hours in the day so that I could spend more time in His Presence, because it is full of glory. The Holy Spirit is doing an amazing work on me, even as I type this, and my eyes and ears are open to what He has to show me. It turns out there was nothing to be afraid of. God is a loving God and I feel that love each and every day. God is Great, and greatly to be praised.

Maybe you've been thinking about getting closer to God. Maybe you've been eyeing up that intimate time with Him, but are afraid just as I was. I'd like to pray with you about that. I have found over the last few weeks that my words towards Heaven are worth something. If you'd like to share with me how I can pray with you, please send me an e-mail to erika@tummytreasure.com, God loves you too and He wants you to share in what He has been showing me. All it takes is a moment, a willing heart and a bit of "show me your glory" attitude.