Since
becoming a parent, quiet time has been hard to come by. Now
that my children are reaching double digits, time alone is a virtual impossibility. There is always someone to drive, teach or
assist as the day rushes past. As a
result, the shower has become the place where I can retreat and have a solitary
moment. Truth be told, I pray a lot in the
shower. I lock the door and deeply enjoy
the peace and calm of my 3 x 5 kingdom.
It is the closest thing to a ritual that I have.
My ceremony was interrupted last week when I almost killed both myself and the family pet. Life has been stressful
lately because our budgie Carl, is changing into a girl. Sounds complicated, but you cannot tell the
gender of a budgie until it is about a year old. Turns out, we were presumptuous and assigned
Carl the wrong name and gender. As a
result, our budgie needs therapy and is acting out her aggression in creative
ways.
On this
particular day, everyone in the household was getting on my last nerve. Instead of sending my children on an errand
and locking them out of the house, I thought I would take a shower in order to
regain my composure. I assigned the
girls a task and headed for the bathroom.
I didn't bother turning on the
lights, I just wanted to be alone. If I
had turned on the lights, I would have realized that Carl, who was also grumpy,
had followed me into the bathroom and perched herself on the shower rod. I remained oblivious and intent on my mini vacation. Within minutes I could
feel the tension decreasing as the hot water worked its magic. I was feeling better.
Did you know
that budgies like water? That
they like water so much they will go out of their way to get under a running
tap whenever the opportunity presents itself?
Carl, whose eyes adjusted to the lack of light before mine, decided that
she needed to get closer to the shower spray. After a moment of contemplation, she decided my head would
provide the perfect landing spot. Imagine
my surprise, when I reached up to run shampoo through my hair at exactly the moment Carl landed on my head. I
don’t know who was more surprised, me, at feeling her claws dig into my scalp,
or her, for suddenly having all vision removed by shampoo bubbles. It was alarming for both of us. For the uninformed, any good budgie, when
they have just survived an assassination attempt will do two things. One: dig their claws deeper into whatever
surface they are on to get purchase and two: start cussing out the assassin at the top of
their lungs. The ensuing scene was not
pretty. I could mention that in the commotion,
the shampoo bottle had tipped over, creating a slippery ribbon of death,
running the length of the tub. If I did,
I would then need to find words to describe how my peaceful shower turned into
a stark, hot yoga, fighting match with my almost blind budgerigar. We aren't going there today. I managed to pry the enraged critter off my
head when I realized that something about my life really needed to change.
I took out a
pen and paper, jotting down practical changes and available resources. That got me nowhere but cross so I picked up
my bible to look up some scripture on change and priorities. The first scripture I came to was in Matthew,
But seek first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto
you (Matt 6:33).
To be
honest, I groaned. I had heard that
before, I wanted a new scripture, a new word, and a new direction. But it was then I realized I wasn't doing any
of the old things I was responsible for very well, particularly my quiet
time. How many times had I come under
conviction that I need to shift my schedule just a fraction in order to make my
life less stressful? How many times had
I decided not to fold the laundry so that I could spend mindless time
elsewhere? How many walks could I have
taken with my man, but chose to complete some petty chore instead of going on a
walk and talk? We don’t realize how much
we need time apart until life hits and the feathers start flying. I had not done a good job of daily seeking
the Lord first and it was starting to show.
Friend can I
remind you that Jesus loves spending time with you? He thinks you are lovely and He enjoys your
company. Might I encourage you to
revisit your schedule to find times to seek God first? You don’t need to light candles or chant, a
simple chat over a cup of tea will suffice.
A walk around the block after supper, a moment on your knees in the
living room before the monsters descend for breakfast, all these intentional
acts are a worthwhile investment.
I love those who love
me; and those who diligently seek me will find me. Proverbs 8:17
My quiet
time has been relocated to a dry location when the budgie is asleep. I am praying Dear Heart that you can find a
quiet corner this week to be refreshed and restored. I pray Jesus will bless you with peace as you
seek his priorities and purpose.
Have a good
week,
xoxK
Say “Hi and
Happy Thanksgiving ” to my friends back home.
I miss you all so terribly, I wish with all my heart I were there.
