“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”  Mark 1:35

By: Sarah Smith

There’s a lot of background noise in the life of a mother.  “Mom, where are my shoes?”  “Mom, what’s for dinner?”  “Mom, I need poster board for my school project…it’s due tomorrow!”  “Honey, can you go to the store?”  “Darling, we need a date night.”  And then there are the voices in our heads – “The house is a mess, no wonder we can’t find anything.”  “bread, milk, eggs, cereal, poster board.”  “What is for dinner?”  “Date night?  I’m way too tired.”  “Wish I could be scrapbooking.” “I need to exercise more and eat healthy.”  Oh, I could go on and on.  I didn’t even mention the TV shows playing in the background or the phone calls or facebook posts  or the list of volunteer duties or jobs.  WOW, it’s noisy!

I would like to extend an invitation to all moms reading this.  It’s an invitation from God to meet him for some one-on-one time.  It may be at a Women of Faith event or maybe a retreat with your church’s women’s ministry group.  Here’s the thing, you get to pick the where and the when.  God will take care of the how.  And, the why?  Because you need to block out the noise and listen to what He might be saying to you.  Most of our mountain-top experiences happen when we are away from the chaos of home.  Even Jesus himself needed to get away once in a while to pray.  Luke 4:42, Luke 6:12 and Mark 1:35, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

You owe it to yourself and your family to take time out for you.  Jesus recognized when it was time to get away.  I think maybe He needed to ‘refuel’ so he could be a better Jesus.  (I know, sounds weird) Remember, He came to serve. Mark 10:45 says “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  You will be a better wife and mother when you spend time with God and sometimes, it’s best to focus only on Him for a day or two.  He may be speaking to you right now in the midst of the everyday as I shared in my last post but I promise, when the distractions are set aside, His voice will be even clearer.

John 10:27 says “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.”  After listening to God and truly hearing what he has to say, then we will know where he is leading us.

For those who attend my church – remember Fall Retreat is right around the corner!  It’s time to register for that now. (Non-members are also welcome to attend!  Contact me for details!) There are also Women of Faith events in Kansas City, Dallas and Oklahoma City this year. Consider getting a group of women together to attend one of those. (or the spring Extraordinary Women event in Tulsa)