Date Needed...

I love meeting with women. It is amazing how God has each of us on a unique path and yet we share so many similarities.  The mother of ankle biters, the mother of ankle tattoos, and the young woman who shows way more than her ankles have more in common than they realize! Many times my blogs are generated when I see these recurrent themes among women who rarely run in the same circles.It is fun to help people or connect women, but I sense the Lord is most pleased when I help a woman take a step closer to Him. Don’t get me wrong; God absolutely uses counsel and the birthing of friendships as the tools to get us to draw closer to Him. Yet, not all coffees turn into vulnerable conversations about someone’s walk.  I try to be discerning, but I also want to be sensitive if someone does not invite me into that conversation.The beauty of a blog is that you can click “close” and I will never know. I won’t be offended one bit. So since being offended is off the table, can I address something I commonly hear? Hope you said “Yes!”Many times when someone describes her personal time with God, it involves listening to worship music, praying as they drive to work, and/or reading a devotional. All of these are great things! God can meet you through any of those avenues, but why is that not enough? Is it just legalists or super spiritual people that live in the world of insisting on something more structured? Isn’t Jesus Calling enough?Let me answer by way of illustration. Chris and I were just out of town for 14 days. We had a blast. We were with our kids. We were without our normal responsibilities and we were with an awesome group from Highpoint. We made some new friends and invested in some preexisting ones. With great people around, we saw amazing things. I was in the River Jordan for crying out loud. Chris and I laughed. We were inspired. Yet, in all the busyness of the time away and sharing a hotel room with teenagers, we did not have any privacy. We were seeing thought provoking, significant places, but we did not have any intimate conversations.When we got back home, the last thing I wanted to do was eat out one more time. I wanted some healthy, home cooked food. (Now if someone else had cooked it that would have been perfect!) But the first thing we wanted to do when we got home was go on a date. Why? Because there were so many conversations we wanted to have that could not take place in the flow of activity and people.It is the same way with God. There are things He wants to say. There are things you need to express, but it takes moving to a quiet place. It takes removing distraction. It takes time to have a meaningful conversation.  It takes opening His word. You can have your own devotion… not depend on someone else’s. Go have a date with God! You won’t be disappointed. As a matter of fact, He would like to take you out every day.