For almost four years I've met with friends at the local Whataburger anytime I thought a meeting and meal would take more than an hour or so. Hey, they're open 24 hours a day, have free diet coke refills and their service is better than most fast food. Of course, you pay for it, but I figure for 5 hours of good, relatively quiet conversation, it's worth it for $10 bucks. Oh...and they have free wifi.
While I enjoy everything that Whataburger has to offer (except the calories), I enjoy this building of relationships that happens over laughter and shared burdens and the familiar exchange of kid stories and recipe disasters. The time flies when you are building and strengthening and nurturing relationships. 5 hours later, we are still sitting there, chatting away, oblivious to the time. It flies by.
It's not much different from our relationship with God. Over time, as we spend more time with Him, that relationship is built, strengthened and nurtured...and as we spend time with Him, it flies by. It's as though there's not enough hours to sit in His presence, chatting, enjoying, delighting.
One thing this summer is teaching me is that every hour of my day can be spent in His presence. His presence isn't limited to the church building or the Sunday School class or the choir rehearsal room or the youth camp or any other physical place. His presence is in us. He is with us all the time as our constant companion and friend. I'm learning to find comfort in the quiet moments that used to make me feel uncomfortable. I'm finding joy in the slowed schedule that gives me time to notice Him in the everyday. And I'm learning to listen to Him as I learn to trust Him more and more.
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