Setting Up Your Quiet Time Basket

Dear Liss,
April is a dangerous time of year.   Rotting snowbanks, raw weather, tax season, and short finances from an overload of March bills threaten to undo my normally cheery resolve.

But these lows swing quickly into the highest highs of the year.  I eagerly plunge my hands into still chilly earth for the first time in months and start the gentle rhythm of gardening once again.  The chartreuse-haired birch girls beckon me out into the woods after a long winter absence.  A golden finger of early morning sun awakens me instead of the harsh shrill of an alarm.

My soul is jarred, one moment delighting in a shower of apple blossoms , the next cracking under the weight of IRS forms for two different calendar years.

It seems appropriate that Easter falls just at this time.  It is the penultimate celebration of the new replacing the old.  I weep at His being made sin for me on the cross.  Only an infinite being could pay the infinite price of the wrath of God in a finite point in time.  As a finite being, I would have suffered that wrath infinitely.   Mere hours later, I rejoice, singing and marveling at the power of my King defeating death and sin to establish His kingdom in our hearts.  It is a wild ride.

Now more than ever, I need the gentle anchor of  quiet time alone with the Master to stabilize my very soul.
My morning time is simple, a "good morning, Lord!" as I join my heart to His for another day.  I read a short devotional passage to rekindle my heart and mind towards Him, and then read a portion of His Word, often stopping to pray and think about a particular line or verse.  At the last I go through my day in prayer with Him, looking for spots where the enemy would like me to fall prey to his designs or my own foolish flesh. If I've promised to pray for a friend facing a particular trial, I lift them up during this time as well.  These few precious minutes give weight to my soul.  It is not so easily tossed by a spring breeze or driven to despair in a chill gale.  I will meet with my Lord again this afternoon for a season of study and prayer.  I'll bid Him good night as I review my day with its highs and lows.  But this time, this first time, is indispensable.

I don't want to come unprepared, or waste these moments looking for a pencil or my Bible.  I find that a simple basket holds the few things I require and allows me to use my minutes wisely.  Your basket and its contents, dear heart, will look different than mine.  But perhaps a peek inside my basket will inspire you to make your own as you passionately pursue a relationship that grows more beautiful with each passing year.

My camera is on the fritz...this basket is from www.quiettime.org

My Quiet Time Basket

• My reading Bible I don't want to be distracted by the notes and maps in my study Bible during this time.
• My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers  
• Valley of Vision  Passionate prayers of men who spent long hours in study and thought.  They never fail to kindle my own passions.
• Pencils 
• Post it flags  
• Index cards  I try to write down anything I want to think about more during the day or a verse the Spirit lays on my heart to memorize.
• My agenda for today  I like to pray through my day ahead of time.
• Tissues  What can I say? I kept having to leave the Lord to care for my allergies or tears.
• Prayer notebook  This is just the little spiral notebook I take to church to record the urgent prayer requests for the week.  If I get an e-mail the prayer request gets scratched into this notebook quickly as well.
• Candle  I don't have one anymore, but when you were all little I would light a candle to let you know I was with the Lord and couldn't help you for a few minutes.

Another beautiful quiet time basket in a craft tote from www.quiettime.org

I pray that your quiet time will become as precious and indispensable in your life as it has been in mine.  A few moment's preparation will help keep your heart and mind focused while you're with the Lord.  I also hope that you're going to be more motivated if you have a pretty basket quietly reminding you to come away with your Beloved.

Much love,
Momma