Remaining

I recently took one of those semi-annoying, semi-addicting quizzes that are popping up all over Facebook feeds these days  This one was simple: answer five questions and find out what color you are.  I answered the questions and the color bestowed upon me was orange.  I like orange.  It was a color in our wedding, we have had walls in our house that color and it was an accent for Winston's nursery.  And like most of these quizzes do, it gave me a reason for the results.  Here is what mine said:

Of all the mind types, yours is the quickest.  You are usually thinking a mile a minute, and you could be thinking about anything at all.  Your thoughts are often scattered and random - but they're also a lot of fun!  You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about esoteric subjects, the meaning of life and pop culture.

Well done, Facebook quiz, you nailed it on the head!  I tend to have thoughts flying around my head  a mile a minute.  I have learned how to focus on tasks at hand, blocking everything else out, but the act of quieting my mind and being still has always been a little challenging for me.

I was reading in my quiet time last week and on this particular day, these words stuck with me:

When you seek my face, put aside thoughts of everything else.  I am above all, as well as in all...  Be prepared to be blessed bountifully by My Presence, for I am a God of unlimited abundance.  Open wide your heart and your mind to receive more and more of me.

The accompanying scripture was John 15:10-11.

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 

First is the component of obedience which leads to a promise.  Obey His commands and I will remain in His love.  Why is this important?  So that I may have His joy and that it may be complete.  I make the choice each morning to follow the Lord, to obey the commands he sets before me keeping me in His love.  The most challenging thing for me is to remain focused and engaged through the day.  Remain: to stay, abide, wait.  

In high school, I started attaching people or events that I wanted to pray for with objects in my everyday so that as I used that item I would remember to pray.  It has been a good way of teaching myself how to pray continually.  To remain mindful of the Lord's presence and stay in communication with Him.  Its something I work towards daily.  Remaining aware of my dialogue with Him.

Now that I have Winston, I am finding that there are moments when I have a hard time remaining with him.  I find myself playing with my phone when I should be playing with him or Pinteresting when we are watching Frozen (start time 45 minutes...the almost exact time Olaf makes his first appearance!) for the 326th time.  When I do these things I find that I am missing little moments when he starts dancing around, or singing along or is wanting me to notice something he has built or done.  Now don't get me wrong, there are times when it is good for me to be away from Winston allowing him to play and create on his own.  It's healthy.  It's needed for both of our sanities.  I'm talking about when we are coloring and I find myself drifting to check my email instead of remaining engaged with my little guy.

This week I have set a goal for myself to remain.  To stay.  To abide.  To wait.  I am setting aside the phone during play times and family times so that I am all in.  So that I wherever is happening around me, I am all there.  Present.  Available.  Another goal is to wake up before Winston so that I am guaranteed time to read the Word and spend time with Jesus.  To stay awhile with him.  I am eager to put aside thoughts of everything else, opening my mind and heart to what He needs to say to me.  Scary and exhilarating all at the same time.

What about you friend, is it easy for you to stay, abide and wait?  To remain in tune and available?  What have you found that works for you?  I'd love to hear!