Quiet Take Two

One year ago today I wrote about wanting to rid my life of many of the distractions that exist in it. Instead of giving something up for Lent like chocolate or fried foods, I chose to give up distractions. I turned off my radio in the car and shut down many of the distractions that keep me from communicating with God. The purpose of the Lenten season is not to deprive yourself of everything you love and go mad because of it. The purpose is to remember the sacrifice He made for us on the cross and draw closer to Him through that.

In our community group we've been talking in recent weeks about listening to God. I often find myself doing much of the talking and not doing much listening. Think about any solid relationships you have with other people. Are the successful ones the ones that you do all the talking, the ones that you do all the listening, or the ones where there is a balance? I'm going to go out on a whim here and say they're probably the ones with the balance. I need to find that balance in my communication with God.

I am going to be shutting down all distractions again. I will be turning off the radio, my cellphone, and anything else that may cause a distraction. I think these next forty days are going to aid in the growth of my relationship with God in a beautiful way.

What are you doing to draw closer to God in this time?