More Lessons From Elizabeth
I will have you know that the 2nd episode of Coal House aired at 8:30 tonight, but my precious husband is not here, so we are recording it and watching it as soon as he gets home! I wanted to just watch it without him, because I'm sweet like that, but I told him I could hold off till 10pm exactly, so he better be walking in the door in the next few minutes or he might miss it. Anyway.I was thinking back to how much time I had on my hands before the girls entered our lives and I remember times in Pontypool when Marc was out of the house, and it was just me and the dog Skip. Those of you not fortunate enough to have known Skip, you missed out. ;) Skip and I would curl up on the couch (yes, he was capable of sitting still!) and I would read my Bible and listen to music. I had such great times with the Lord in that little tiny flat above the church. I was thinking about all of this the last few mornings, when Cerys has been wide awake at 6:45am. I try to come downstairs before she is awake to read my Bible and get things sorted out for the day, but inevitably, she hears me open the child safety gate at the top of the stairs. And our house is old, so the wood underneath the steps creaks all the way down! Argh! I try to sneak every so quietly but most of the time, she darts out of her room and wants to come downstairs with me. Oh the days when I could have some solitude at any time of day! ;)In reading Elizabeth Prentiss, More Love To Thee that I have mentioned before, it talks about her life before children. Before she was married, she taught school in Richmond, Virginia and would enjoy hours to herself each morning and evening to spend time with God. A few years and several children later, "She found the demands of day and night exhausting. No longer could she maintain her routine devotional times...Lamenting the poverty of her spiritual state she began to miss those rich devotional hours of her time in Richmond. George (her husband) tried to comfort her, telling her that the Richmond years had been the time for contemplation: this season of her life was for action. God would not demand of her a consistency in prayer that was simply impractical. But despite her husband's best efforts Elizabeth still felt miserable."
I had to laugh at how she didn't feel better even after her husband tried to encourage her. How many times has Marc said to me "you are being too hard on yourself" or "stop beating yourself up over this!" The fact is, this time in my life is for action. I don't have a choice. I have a husband and 2 sweet girls to look after. Surely God is pleased with my efforts, as I call on Him in the midst of washing dishes or changing nappies. One day I'm sure that I will be able to have uninterrupted quiet times again. And I will probably miss the interruptions dearly.
I had to laugh at how she didn't feel better even after her husband tried to encourage her. How many times has Marc said to me "you are being too hard on yourself" or "stop beating yourself up over this!" The fact is, this time in my life is for action. I don't have a choice. I have a husband and 2 sweet girls to look after. Surely God is pleased with my efforts, as I call on Him in the midst of washing dishes or changing nappies. One day I'm sure that I will be able to have uninterrupted quiet times again. And I will probably miss the interruptions dearly.