If you have ever been through a time of isolation and lack of fellowship, you should identify with my fog of monotony. I hope you’re challenged!
2MefromHim Devotional
I was blind but now I see! John 9:25b
I awakened to dark silence, though my senses told me it wasn’t the middle of the night. My husband’s side of the bed was empty, so it must be morning. Slipping on my robe, I padded to the window and peeked out. Fog—thick—gray, and all-encompassing, surrounded the house, blocking out sounds from the highway less than a mile away, and from the valley below. Not even birds were stirring.
At times my mind feels fogged in. The daily routine of writing alone, with rare phone calls and even less common visitors can make each day feel monotonous. When I am on a break from leading Bible study, I can go for days without seeing anyone but my husband or phoning anyone but my mother. The silent sameness seems to still my thinking, dulling my awareness to anything outside my little world on the mountain. Even my prayer life becomes stifled, smothered in similarity from one day to the next.
Without frequent exposure to friends and activities that make me focus outside myself, I become as dull and gray as the fog, as unable to think outside myself as I am unable to see beyond the railing around my back porch. A monotony of the spirit descends on me also. Though I spend time in God’s word daily, if I don’t apply it to real-life situations on a daily basis, I become insulated to the trials and needs of others.
Interaction with other people is necessary to stay attuned to God’s desire for my intervention and intercession in the lives of others. I become unable to recognize my bad habits because lack of time with others fails to keep my intuition honed to a sharp awareness of my impact on others.
Being involved in a weekly fellowship of like-minded people is important to the life of a Christian as is the opportunity to interact with people who think differently. The first shows what my thinking should be. The second causes me to consider new and creative ways to communicate God’s truths, and to recognize how God wants me to interact with those who don’t know Him.
Down time is a necessity for everyone, but I must not become so insulated in a fog of monotony that I fail to perceive God’s purpose for me in the world.
Copyright January 9, 2015 by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman
About the author:
Norma Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, set in Scotland and New Mexico released in April 2014. She has led weekly women’s Bible studies for 19 years. Her devotionals, poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, FaithWriters, Romance Writers of America, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. She is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 38 years. They have two adult children.
Connect with Norma on the Internet at:
www.normagail.org
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail
https://plus.google.com/b/102717101441594679714/+Normagail/about/p/pub
http://pinterest.com/normagailth/boards/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7874459.Norma_Gail
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/norma-gail-thurston-holtman/42/71a/3b2
https://twitter.com/Norma_Gail
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170/ or
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/land-of-my-dreams-norma-gail/1119606864 ?ean=9781941103173
Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas Bookstore: http://store.lpcbooks.com/product/land-of-my-dreams/
2 Comments
“At times my mind feels fogged in. The daily routine of writing alone, with rare phone calls and even less common visitors can make each day feel monotonous.” I can sooo relate to this. Satan loves to isolate us and keep us from fellowship with others who can point us to the Cross of Christ. So very thankful for our friendship and the Internet to keep us connected. 🙂
You are a blessing, Marcie!