The Summer of One Thing

July 3, 2012 By

Summer has begun!! I look forward to a blessed break all the year long!  Where I live in the tropics, it is summer every day of the year, but the respite from a full school schedule is as welcome as a cool breeze {which almost never comes}.  There is so much to pack into one summer. Even in the midst of a busy life,  this summer I want to cultivate one thing.

This:

Intimacy with the Lord.  Time spent in His Presence.  Taking all the minutes of my day and turning them towards focusing on His Word and using the Word to worship Him.

I want to be a lover of God and His Word. A woman who finds moments all day long to steal away into His Presence. A woman that speaks His glory throughout my day. A woman that glows with the light of His presence.

My family will greatly benefit as I choose to live my life steeped in His Word and focusing on worship and prayer, the overflow flows out on them!

How do I plan to pursue this?

By choosing to focus my thoughts on His Word as I go throughout my busy day.  Every moment has the possibility of being a moment spent worshiping Him.  A.W. Tozer describes it as, ” inwardly gazing upon God…a directing the heart’s attention to Jesus.  It is lifting the mind to ‘behold the Lamb of God’ and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives.”

“It is being in my ordinary, busy life with a sense of ease, gratitude, appreciation, peace, and prayer. It is the robin sitting peacefully on her nest, perched on a branch above a thundering waterfall.“-Linda Dillow, Satisfy My Thirsty Soul

“The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were on my knees at the blessed sacrament.” -Brother Lawrence, Practicing the Presence of God

As a mama, I am not likely to find a whole lot of time in my day that are completely still, BUT I can choose to be still before the Lord in the midst of the mess, the crazy, and the chaos.  I can choose to be that mama bird sitting quietly in my nest in the midst of that rushing waterfall.

And that is what I plan to do, my one thing.

I want to challenge you to join me!! Just think about how our home, lives, friendships, families could be transformed as we join together and become women of ONE THING!!  

I want to hear from you in the comments if you are in…..let’s do this together!

“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.” Psalm 27:4

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35 Comments | Filed Under: Following God
About Joy

Joy is the wife to a missionary pilot and they, along with their five kids, live in Indonesia.  Joy is a proud wife, blessed mommy, Diet Coke fanatic, runner, homeschooler, reader, thinker, home-maker, lover of nature, and most of all, an undeserving recipient of amazing grace, and grateful daughter of God.  Joy's heart is to encourage women to revel in their job as mommy and wife, and to see it as good and needed work.  She shares her heart and life of being a mom with readers at her site, Grace Full Mama.

  • http://thechuppies.blogspot.com/ Kara @ The Chuppies

    I love that you have been reading this…
    My next post here contains a quote from this book.
    It’s all about the face-to-face with Him (dare we even hope-pray for that?)
    But He wants that with us…
    And it should surpass all else.
    It is the launching pad for all else.
    Loved your recent post Joy at Grace Full (and this one as well).
    Love,
    K

    • Joy

      Kara, goodness gracious, thank you so much for your encouragement over the past few days. I am so blessed and encouraged to be walking this road with you. :)

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  • http://twitter.com/LoveGodGreatly Angela

    YES! I’m in with you girl! May HE be our focus!

    • Joy

      Awesome! I knew you would be!! :)

  • http://twitter.com/RachelWojo Rachel Wojnarowski

    I’m in, Girl! :) Blessings to you.

  • http://www.facebook.com/gina.benson.96 Gina Benson

    I’m in! ;)

  • Thehomespunheart

    Hey Joy, I want this with all my heart! And asking for HIS help as I know how often I fail and fall short at seeking Him. Please post more on this – I’d love to learn along with you!

  • Noel McNeil

    This is wonderful and I’m and ALL in! I have been knowing that I need to pursue the Lord and be in His word much more than I am. We can get stuck that the only way we worship is through song, but that is very wrong. We worship God in all we do…especially when we are immersed in His word, believe His word, live out His word, and so on. Thanks for this challenge and thanks for sharing your heart with other momma’s…such as myself. ;)

  • Sarah Stoelting

    I’m in…I’ve been hoping and trying all summer so far to find the quiet with the Lord. Summer always seems to throw schedules off..but then on top of that we have lost our job…struggles with my daughter and more have my mind so cluttered…that I am struggling to find that quiet…that peace in the Lord. I will continue to try….and look forward to reading more on your challenge. Thank you for your encouraging posts…I always enjoy reading them.

  • Tricia

    awesome, thank you!! praise the LORD for this today.

  • http://annieathome.com Annie | annieathome.com

    My “one word” for this year has been “abide,” and these words today are a sweet whisper back to that still place in the midst of this bustling life. Thank you, Ruth.

    • http://annieathome.com Annie | annieathome.com

      Oops… I mean, thank you, Joy! ;)

  • http://www.larawilliams.org Lara Gibson Williams

    You always make me smile, sweet sister. One thing. One vision. One hope.

  • Alimonell

    I’m in! This is what we have been talking about in our women’s study lately on how to become a great group leader! I’ve been struggling with just the “perfect moment or time” to get into God’s word and realizing there is no “perfect time.” Thank you for this!

  • Bdb Seb

    I’m in! I know this can only be a blessing to my family and me!

  • Brandi B

    I’m in. I have a hard time remembering to stop and focus on the Lord. So, I know my family can benefit from it, and I know my relationship with God will benefit most. So, here we go! :-)

  • Darla

    Yes! i’m in, my word for 2012 is FOCUS— Fitness Order Charity Unity Spirit….and since the year is 1/2 over now is a great time to …reFOCUS! :) Thanks for this call to truly make Christ the center of our daily lives.

    • http://www.indulgentaromas.com Nicole

      That’s awesome….I need to write that down….good goal summary :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/danandmichelle.tebbe DanandMichelle Tebbe

    Good to see that I’m not the only missionary Mom who has a hard time stopping throughout my day for a still moment. I, too, am seeking to keep the Lord at the forefront of my heart and mind each day with three young girls (and a 4th child on the way in 3 months time!). Its NOT easy, especially with my own expectations for myself, my perceived expectations from the locals (and I’m still learning the cultural “expectations” after 15 years of being here!), and my desire to be a blessing to my hubby and kiddos while keeping God and family before “ministry expectations” too! Thanks for sharing your heart and encouraging me!

  • Felicia Eis

    Oh Please I really need to be part of this!! But I also need to learn/advice on how to do this! I have three little ones (4, 2, and 1) and I am half way through my pregnancy with #4 so I have been having a really hard time keeping God as the focus in my day.

  • Katie G.

    I’m in, but oh, do I need help! (even though I think I should have this down by now). How do I keep my mind on Jesus when I’m constantly shifting gears for changing needs and tasks? I have three girls: 7, 3, and 8 months. It is so hard to simply remember to pray/reflect/meditate!

  • Kelly M.

    YES! Count me in! I want to be known as a lover of God and His Word.

  • Saundra B.

    beautiful. Thank you for this Joy!! Definitely in.

  • Carrie Bennett

    This is definitely something I want to go after this summer, this year. I have 3 boys though and it isn’t easy for me to find the quiet but I am working on a plan and reading A W Tozer’s book, How to Pray. I don’t want to neglect that one needful thing.

  • http://altarofheaven.wordpress.com/ arcelia

    I completely understand what you are saying…that is true REVIVAL which is radical :)

    Psalm 27:4 has been my prayer the past three years…His word does not return to Him void. I am so in love with Him!!! I will pray for you as you deepen your walk with Him, I look forward to reading what He teaches you…

    Psalm 131:1-3

    “O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes  haughty;
    Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
    Or in things too difficult for me.
     Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
    Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
    My soul is like a weaned child within me.
    O Israel, hope in the Lord
    From this time forth and forever.

    Matthew 6:33
    “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

  • http://www.modernchristianwoman.com/ Stephanie

    Yes! I am in! It has been on my heart lately that I need to focus my attention on the Lord instead of all the craziness of daily life – pursuing a life that matters and spending quality time learning and worshiping….instead of just reacting to life! I too want to be a lover of God and His word!

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  • Fbtrustinggod

    I am in. I had started this a few days ago. How nice to know their are others doing the same thing. I can’t wait to see how my life and the lives of those around me changes for God’s glory.
    Fatin

  • http://callherblessed-angela.blogspot.com/ Angela @ Call Her Blessed

    I was blessed by this post. Esp the bird/waterfall quote. I want to be just that way. Thank you for sharing your heart.

  • Mnjerseygirl

    I am in. Being a kindergarten teacher I always LOVE my summer break because it does make it easier to have more time with Him each and every day. My girls are older (9 and 11) so it’s getting easier and easier to have my own quiet time with the Lord. Where I struggle is once school is back in session, I so want to make sure I continue having my time with the Lord and keep the momentum going, but I always seem to get off track pretty easily come September. I actually started to get a little stressed out in August knowing all this. I am praying all summer asking God to help show me the way to keep my time with Him going once school starts back up. Thanks for sharing this-your words are a gift and always help my relationship with God grow deeper. Make it a blessed day!

  • Myheartsmission

    This has been the continual message God has been speaking to me for almost a year. Be still, wait upon me, seek me, LISTEN to me. Be still. And for someone who loves to be a social butterfly and to fill my schedule – He has called me into a season of loneliness.
    I have tried to escape it but now I am trying to rest in it- to accept this season and tune my ear to hear what God is trying to teach me. Slowing down the pace of my life has made me realize how much I miss just b/c of being busy- and that I wasn’t taking time to evaluate my priorities or my schedule- or even to consult God about it. I was very self-sufficient.
    Now I feel as if I am being emptied daily- God keeps stripping away all my safety nets and habits that kept me feeling “safe and comfortable” but also kept me away from Him. You quoted several books that the Lord has led me to read over the past 2 years- Andrew Murray has also been a source of comfort and conviction.
    Thank you for sharing your heart- it is encouraging to hear others seeking God in this way- esp. in this busy world we live in- when you slow down it also can make you feel completely out of step with everyone around you.
    Blessings.

  • http://wherespooki.wordpress.com/ bronya

    I’m so in! I just posted my ‘summer checklist’ and then found my way here via a friends blog. This is exactly going to be the focus of my summer! Thankyou so much.

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