Day 6 - Practicing the Presence

Being quiet and still is one of my most challenging tasks.  I can talk, write, process, but stillness doesn't come naturally to me.  My prayer life sometimes reflects this.  Today was interesting.  I am in a busy season, and this sustains me sometimes.  I thrive on productivity and on getting things done;  I didn't have space in world today for much of anything else.  As I sit down to write and think through ways in which I brought the kingdom today, I am struck by how wrapped up I got in my own head and how little I thought about kingdom-life today.  I passed on two conversations with friends today in favor of work.  I do want to do work well as I believe that this, too, glorifies the Lord.  I guess in this scattered post today, I'm trying to say that I need a bit more practice at listening to the Holy Spirit and letting God guide my day-to-day, hour-to-hour choices in this way.    I'm seeking to do what Johnson leads us into which is to listen more intentionally to the Holy Spirit and to not succumb to prioritizing what I need to get done and what I need to accomplish in a day, but rather, to truly be sensitive to where the spirit is guiding me, so that I can be fully present wherever I am with whomever is in front of me.   This is a massive shift in my thinking that I recognize will take time to adopt, but I long to see the outcome of a life led to seek first the Kingdom.  That life is where I am convinced I will see God and be able to bless others with the joy and power of the Holy Spirit.  I've done life my way, and I'm excited to put that to death in order to pursue life God's way.  How are you all with being still and quiet in the Holy Spirit?  What blessings have come from times of stillness for you?