I am a part of a women's Bible study at my church on Tuesday nights. We are doing the Chronological Bible Study by Iva May and Donna Gaines (its a fabulous study btw - I highly recommend it). I have done this study for the third time in four years this past semester. I went into it this time really excited because I always learn so much and I even stepped out of my comfort zone and went into a small group where I knew no one. I enjoyed our time together and enjoyed the group I was in (from September-November). Now, I am using the same workbook I used last year - so I was basically covering the same New Testament stories I had covered last year - hence - Gina not doing her homework cause it was already done.
This semester (January-April) has rocked my world. Its really been the month of March that has rocked my world. I continued to go to Bible study every Tuesday - showing up, watching the videos and not doing my homework. The difference is this time - we are covering new stories - so I didn't have the workbook pages done - I had never covered the stories in this series. And I really didn't care if I did my homework or not. And I wasn't getting as much out of it as I usually did either.
In one of the videos we watched - Donna Gaines spoke on the temple and how it was built, the precise instructions of how it was to be built, the significance of it, how you were to approach it, etc. She said (and I am paraphrasing) that our quiet time should be like entering the temple - that we are meeting with the Father and we should take it as serious as the priests did. Wow - was I convicted! I was in a rut with my quiet time! I was getting up in the morning and doing my Jesus Calling devo and calling it a quiet time. Oh Gina, you are so lazy. You have such an opportunity to meet with The Father every morning - enter the temple (my living room) to meet with Him and you are taking it for granted.
So, since then - my world has been rocked. I have stopped hitting snooze 3 times and dragging myself out of bed - I have never been a morning person and that has been an excuse I have used in the past. I am getting up - around 6 AM now, taking a shower to wake myself up and going into my living room - my special tent of meeting and meeting with the Father. I have been going through all the homework we have covered that I had not done and am doing it. It has really changed me. I am really learning so much from these stories of Leah, Rachel, Isaac, Abraham, etc. I have read them time and time again but now the difference is - I am digging deeper. And I have noticed I am thinking about these stories throughout the day at work (a bonus of getting up early and doing it before I go to work). I am taking time to get my mind ready, spending time with Him, thanking Him for all He has done and does in my life.
Its so easy to go about your life and become complacent - to check it off of your day. I challenge you - if this is you - snap out of it. Don't regret the time you have that you could be spending with the Father - don't waste this precious time. Do I have it all together every day? Uhhh no - not by any means. I am not perfect and never will be - I have days where I hit snooze (especially since the time change) but I am trying - even if I do hit it - I still get up and spend time with the Father. Am I perfect with it on the weekends? NO! That is something I have to work on for sure. Its a day to day walk and we learn from our struggles and I am always learning from mine.
Why did I share this? I don't know - I don't want this blog to be a picture perfect look at our lives because we are far from it. So, this is the real me. The real Gina who messes up and isn't the perfect Christian that we sometimes all profess to be on the outside.
