Having Plans for Study
I had study plans for our week at Disney World. Prepped my structural diagram ahead of time, printed it, tucked it into my iPad, all set for adventure.
Then using my iPad for D&D Sunday afternoon, I succumbed to the frantic flurry when our ride came and left my diagram on the table in Aspen Room.
And yet I’ve still had lovely mornings hanging out with our heavenly Dad in a chair in the hall by the elevators with my Mickey Mouse coffee and the hum of the ice machine. Which also worked well as a heater for the area. I always forget to dress for the inside weather of the South.
Plan B
In order to study, I will have to adjust my expectations and find alternatives for my normal routine. Which does make sense because when on vacation, that’s the point—I’m getting out of the normal rhythm of life.
When on vacation, I generally have a difficult time fitting in the peaceful morning routine that I typically enjoy at home. Although this week has been pleasantly predictable in the mornings. With the alarm clock that goes off naturally in my head, I woke up almost every morning by 6 AM, headed down to the Mickey Mouse coffee, and then came back up to that chair there by the elevator.
First thing I did was read through the book. Every morning that I had a chance, I read through the letter again. Since I had fewer note-taking/study opportunities, I chose to spend my time keeping the big picture familiar. Even while I know this sounds elementary, I highly recommend the activity. I get easily distracted with all the other activities in study and can forget to keep reading through the epistle. Which is why I remind both of us.
Without my structural diagram or my stickies, reading and making observations was a little more cumbersome. But doable. I chose to read on my iPad and take notes on my phone.
Continuing with my usual method in observation, I saw that Paul was the first person mentioned in my text, so I read through and took note of what he said of himself. This is a screenshot of what I observed.
Result of Carving Time
I’m not going to tell you that having a “quiet time” is some goofy magical formula where my days were better or that I had more opportunities to share the gospel because I spent time in the Word in the mornings. That’s ridiculous. I don’t study or read or have conversation with my Dad to bribe or to prove.
Spending time with my Dad in the mornings is tied directly to my belief that he has something to tell me each day, each moment I spend with him. Reminders about how I’m his beloved daughter. Or a reminder about my position in Christ, no matter how I feel. A reminder about how I have value in the kingdom even as Piglet would say, as a very small animal.
Today I took those notes about Paul. His history was that he grew up in religion with all the best opportunities, but had it all wrong. Someone who needed to repent of his religion. I’ve been someone who needed to repent of my religion. If worship has anything other than God as my focus, including God’s rules, I need to repent of my religion. What I have with my God is a relationship, not a religion.
As a person who needed to repent of his religion, I can see and relate to some things that are true about Paul. As a minister with his assignment, his life was hard and yet he had boldness and access to our Father. While he was performing his appointed duties, he had trials. Not because of what he had done to “deserve it” but because God has a purpose. And through it all, Paul had confidence to approach the Father.
For Me, Being God-centered
What is the result of carving time? My mind was more God-centered. I was empowered to walk through my day (in Disney World) among the hordes of screaming children, the grumpy older women who had only grumpies to share while they stood in line for amusement park rides and were disgruntled after the ride about how it wasn’t worth the wait.
Again, not a magic formula so that I always had an appropriate response to these finicky, fussy people.
Um. Not a chance.
But Jeremy would tell you that it was more likely. Even if I had an inappropriate heart-response, after I thought about it a minute, I could remember that there is always a back story. Who knows what life situations and choices these folks made to get them to the places they are.
Time with the Father, even on vacation, helps me to be changed from within to be more like Christ.
For Me, Practice
Why do you go on vacation?
For us, we go to get out of the usual rhythms of life. Do we go to rest? Emphatically, no. We go to make memories and build our relationship through shared experiences. Sometimes that is out in the wilderness (usually) and sometimes that is in the crush of humanity. On this vacation, we had a blast screaming bloody murder just for fun on roller coasters and eating way, way, way, way too much sugar.
But the main theme is to get out of our normal rhythm. If I can practice the discipline of study when the change in rhythm is pleasant and meant for fun rather than a trial, maybe in the trial when there is cause for a “new normal,” I will be successful at preserving some of my patterns. Perhaps it will even be like when on vacation when instead of everything in tumult, there will be a steadying, centering place in my day. I want to have cultivated a friendship with my Dad who speaks love and truth in the haze of varying types of joys or horrors.
Wrap Up
Our Bible Study Bite for today is not as systematic as some of the others. Nor is it a “do it like me” Bite. What I want for us to put in our toolboxes is the idea that even in our times of rhythm changes, we can figure out how to maintain an intimate relationship with our heavenly Dad. There are no set rules for it, but principles we can implement.
I am very much a writing with paper and pencil person. Feels stifling if I can’t hold a pencil and write. I can remember when I homeschooled, if I needed to correct someone’s paper, I had to have a writing instrument in my hand in order to think. Seems like that is somewhat true even to this day. Adjusting to the limitation, I worked through that and found a different way to take those notes.
Leaving my structural diagram in Aspen Room, that was a blow. But I adjusted and began the process of observation without it. If I’d been gone longer, I’d have attempted to diagram again on my iPad.
Whatever the obstacle to overcome, if we can be flexible when the situation is not dire, perhaps we will have flexed our adaptive muscles to be consistent in our relationship with our Father when situations are dire.
Certainly I can grow in this area, which is why I’m even talking to you about it. Especially when camping this is a challenge for me. There is so much nature to play in. However, now I’ve had a level of success on one vacation. I can take that success and have confidence to apply what I’ve learned to another type of rhythm change. I hope by thinking about this, you can too.
