Do You Ever Feel Guilty?

So how's your guilt gage these days? I would imagine that generally speaking, most people struggle with guilt in some form. I do.

Guilt over eating those chips when I knew I wasn't really hungry.

Guilt over playing on Ebay when I should have been doing laundry (well...sometimes-ha!).

Guilt over being irritated with my kids, when I know I'm being tooooo irritated.

.

Guilt over not cooking a decent dinner...opting for peanut butter sandwiches, when I've had all day to cook something yummy.

Do you ever feel guilty over not spending enough time with God? I do.

This week has been like a whirlwind. I knew it would be because it's the last week before school starts back. We've bought everybody's gym shoes. We've gotten snacks & school supplies. We've had lots of friends over to spend the night. All the errands and fun things we've accomplished this week have taken so much time.

Have we taken time for God? Have I? How can I spend more time on my laundry than my Lord? What's up with spending more time on the dishes than with THE Divine Presence in my life that makes everything work together for my good? This week has been consumed with so many extras. My time with God has suffered. In all honesty, I'm looking forward to school starting, because I desire to be in regular fellowship with Him. Do you?

Friends, life just isn't the same without talking to Him. So many times we talk to Him about our problems. But what about our blessings? Don't you think that He'd like to hear about how much we love our family? Our home? The very fact that He's there? How about some praise time? And by-the-way, how can we know what He has planned for us each day, if we don't be still and know He is God?

I may have mentioned this in a previous blog, but when I was a kid, my Grandma would always say "be still" when I was too loud or causing a ruckus. Especially if she was on the phone. Every time she said that, I would wonder why(???). Why not just say, "Shut-up" or "Close your mouth" or hold up her fingers as if to THUMP me on the head...to get me to be quiet (my Daddy's specialty...only he would always DO IT and not threaten!). I never could figure out why she would say "be still" instead of "be quiet".

.

Until I had kids.

Psalm 46:10..."Be still and know that I am God."

Being still is faaaaar different than being quiet! My Grandma needed us to settle down. To pay more attention to what she was doing. To listen. And that's the way God is. When He speaks, He wants us to pay attention. We can be quiet and still not do that. But when He calls us to "be still", He's telling us to pay attention to Him.

.

Let Him speak...and YOU listen.

So, I feel guilty sometimes for only being quiet (I love PEACE!!!!), and not being still. There is an incredible blessing in being still. In knowing that He is God.

In knowing that He will NEVER fail you.

Knowing that even when we are too busy, He waits. He doesn't hold it against us when we fail to communicate with Him. He's God. And it's for OUR benefit to be still.

Our guilty gage is a great monitor for being still. When we are heavily burdened, He will lighten our load...change that gage...if we'll be still.

And then we'll know beyond a doubt that He is God.