Closeness

First cup of coffee on the deck.....

I awoke earlier than usual this morning....probably because of all the sleep I had over the weekend....resting and healing.

Up out of bed, to the kitchen, coffee in hand and open the door to the deck.  Oh, no!!

My nose is 'assaulted' by an obnoxious odor!!  A skunk!!  A skunk has been visiting somewhere close by, and he let all of us know that he has been here!!

Miles came in after spending the night outside, and I thought to myself...."Hopefully, she wasn't skunked!"  I reached down, scooped her up....no, she's safe and odor free. 

It is already muggy outside....a kind of closeness that seems to envelop your very being. 

As I sat there...thinking about this closeness in the weather....I thought about how God wants to be close to each of us.  He is waiting for us.  He desires an intimate relationship with me and you and everyone in this world. 

He is patient and kind....and He will wait. 

I, for one, don't like to keep Him waiting too long.  God has blessed me in so many ways, and I am on a walk with Him...a walk that will never end until I see Him face to face. 

So, I begin my walk for this day...with God by my side...guiding and directing each and every step. 

Sometimes it's difficult.  I have found that my busyness through my day tends to distract me from this closeness.  I go through my day, and I'm sure there are missed opportunities....things that God is trying to tell me or show me that I have missed completely....

I don't want to miss these God-given opportunities.  I don't want to miss His whispers to me.  I want to feel Him close beside me every moment of every day. 

And I am back to the very same question I asked a few weeks ago:

How is this possible?  I walk out my door...into the world....and sometimes I don't have a minute to think or feel....just move on what I've done in the past....through my entire day until I get in the car to come home again. 

My prayer for today:

Father God,

Draw me close to You--so close that I feel Your presence within me during each and every moment of this day.  Fill my heart and mind with Your thoughts and guidance for my day.  Help me to see all that You have to show me.  Help me to hear each whisper into my heart and mind. 

I pray that the distractions of the day do not lead me away from You, but towards You.  Help me to take each thought captive and turn the thought into a prayer--a blessing upon others rather than being negative or cutting. 

Lead me, bring me close and keep me there.....

I pray all of this in the powerful, mighty, strong, loving and most precious Name of Your Son, Jesus....

Amen