How could I forget that!

This week our family went on vacation. All you ladies out there know the prep time that comes with your family being able to go anywhere. Well, multiply that by about three and that is the prep time involved in being able to leave a working farm. Moving cows and horses to fresh grass, moving troughs, cleaning cages and pens to be left for several days, and on and on. It was SO worth it though and I would never complain about the blessings our family have received by caring for God's creatures. We left our farm in northeast Tennessee on Sunday afternoon. With everything prepared as well as could be, and the rest left to our trusty neighbor, we pulled out. I bet you are wondering what in the world I forgot?!?

Sorry, I couldn't resist sharing =)

I want to stop here and go over again what the Lord has pressed on me to share. It is why I started this blog. Our relationship with Christ takes effort and sacrifice on our part. Let me be very clear, our salvation is a free gift and we can do nothing to add to it. All we must do to receive God's amazing grace is to confess Jesus Christ as the son of God, who died for our sin, was raised from the dead, and turn from our sin. Our salvation is complete and there is nothing we can do to lose it. Our relationship is a completely different matter. I often wondered how people accomplish such great things for God. Why doesn't God pick me for big stuff? I would do it!


I became aware that my dedication to God was really not that great. I went to church like most Christians, helped out when asked, and even teach the children. When it comes to the grading scale I had convinced myself that I was on the high end of the spectrum. And when grading against my peers that may have or may not have been true. Then God gently and lovingly showed me that very few of us are doing such a great job and the standard was low enough to step over. I sacrificed almost nothing and managed to work in almost everything I wanted to do. I was heartbroken to realize what a disappointment I must be to the one who gave everything He was and had to save me. So, I started carving out more and more time for Him every day. I almost eliminated my TV and Facebook time. I voluntarily said no to some of the time wasting activities I participate in and shockingly God was true to His word! Can you believe that!

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8 (NKJV)

I was purposefully drawing nearer to God and the more time I spent with Him the closer He drew to me! I had been double-minded and not devoted but began to constantly think about what His word said about any number of topics and couldn't help but find out. I was quicker to share Christ's love with strangers. He was always on my mind! It was amazing.

Now back to our vacation. If you are guessing that I left my Bible at home, that would be a good guess but wrong. I piled in the car with my Bible on my lap. Then we got to our destination and the fun began. The next day the kids were eager to get to the indoor water park. I looked at my Bible and knew that a water soaked park was no place for my bible, and I am not insinuating that is wrong. The next day, I grabbed my bible for some God time with the family in the car to our next fun thing. Didn't happen. I then was determined to have some God time before I got up the next day, nope. Then the next day, I DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

How could that be! As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. Psalm 42:1.(NKJV) I had developed a need and a desire to be with God frequently throughout the day and in a matter of a few short days I didn't even think about spending time with Him.  I was shocked! The Lord I loved was an after thought and that is where so many of us are. It was important that our family spend that much needed time together. I am not saying that was a mistake. Christ expects us to make our families a priority second only to Him. I was blown away at how quickly my thoughts and desire for Christ became distant. We want Christ to be close to us and most of us would like to do great things for Him. We are doing important things in our lives. We just aren't doing the most important thing and that is cultivating our relationship with Him. So, the thing that I forgot on our vacation wasn't my Bible. It was much worse, it was Christ.