Out of the quiet, equilibrium

I'm spending a quiet morning at home today, wrapping up a week off with a final holiday. I've been addressing a few editing tasks this morning, including putting the finishing touches on one big job and starting a sample edit on another. This afternoon I'll switch on the Gator Bowl game, matching my Virginia Tech Hokies against the Louisville Cardinals, and after that I'll head down to my kids' Christian school to watch my sons play basketball (Ben on the JV team and Nathan on the varsity).

But for now it's especially quiet here because my wife and three of the kids are back at school today, while the fourth, our youngest, is sleeping off an upset stomach upstairs. I haven't put on any music (current favorite: the Moviola channel on www.Live365.com) so I'll be sure to hear my daughter if she calls. All I can hear is the sound of raindrops in the downspout just outside my basement office and the soft whirring of the computer.

Everything about this kind of morning appeals to me. I never mind being by myself; I like solitude and often have to push myself to be sociable. I like being in my home office. And I like the clear-cut requirements of my editing business: I know what I need to do this morning, and nothing else is clamoring for my attention. In short, I feel as if I'm in a bubble of contentment.

Yes, I know the quiet won't endure. My daughter might wake up crying. Another thunderstorm, like the ones we had last night, might rumble through (and I think I just heard thunder). A phone call might bring some unexpected crisis. But I'm thankful for these precious few hours this morning, a chance to relax, think, and catch my breath before life gets back into its normal routine.

If there's one thing I need to do this year, it is to find a way, with God's help, to keep that bubble of contentment intact through all the ups and downs, twists and turns, of a normal day. I'm much too quick to let my circumstances dictate my mood. I need greater equilibrium.

I see again the need to set aside a "quiet time" at the beginning of each day, a time in which to seek God and re-establish my equilibrium by turning my cares over to Him and by turning to His Word to be reminded of the great truths that govern my life. I'm pretty good at gaining the quiet time; I get up well before the rest of my family. But I don't always use that time wisely.

So that little window of time was on my mind as I made my New Year's resolutions. I'm starting another systematic read through the Bible. And I'm going to try something I haven't done before: slowly studying through a book (Philippians) with the help of a commentary (James Montgomery Boice), slowly digesting. I think the exercise itself will be good for me, and Paul's emphasis on joy is something I need to absorb. Finally, I've written out a list of specific prayer needs, and plan to use it each morning.

Basic stuff, I know. I'm just getting back on the bicycle one more time, as I have been doing for years and will be doing for the rest of my life. Hopefully, writing about it here will be an extra motivation for me to keep at it.

Looking for greater equilibrium? I recommend starting each day in the quiet before the throne of grace.