“In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.” Psalm 33: 21

My alignment has been a little off lately. Not physically, but spiritually. I’ve noticed it because I’ve found myself caught up in busyness and to-dos and things of this world. My prayer time has been relegated to a few minutes here and there throughout the day when something or someone reminds me of something I “wanted to pray for” and didn’t. I’ll quickly offer up a prayer and move along. And, sadly, even though I took much of the week of Thanksgiving off work with the good intentions of focusing on spending more time alone with God, I didn’t. Company, shopping lists, errands, activities and that worldly view of having to get-it-all-done and be-all-things-to-all-people around me overwhelmed the small voice that was telling me to slow down and step away from the madness.

As soon as I start down this road, I begin to feel “off.” It’s my alignment. Like my car, I need to keep up with maintaining what keeps me running more efficiently and focused. And that is defined for me as time alone, time in The Word and time in worship. If any one of those gets off kilter, I’m out of balance. And lately, two of the three are out of sync and I’ve struggled.

It’s been in my heart and on my mind. Last night and again this morning, God used it to settle my spirit and help me see where I need to be looking. At Him. Focused on Him. Driving home last night, I was listening to an amazing worship song and just loving the moment. I gazed out and saw the biggest, brightest full moon I’ve seen in a while. It was like a cosmic flashlight was pointed in my direction. As I looked at the moon, with the music playing, everything else fell away. It was perfect. Again this morning, as I was standing out in 17-degree weather with 4 inches of fresh snow on the ground with our new puppy, the silence was incredible. Air that cold takes my breath away, but there I was breathing in the moment and the silence, happy that I was back “in tune.”

As Christmas season heads into high gear, I vow to keep it the sacred time it is meant to be. And I’m kick-starting my focus starting now. I’m heading out for a long weekend to attend a reunion. I am so grateful for the opportunity to reconnect and celebrate with a group of women that I shared a very special part of life with. But, more importantly, I’m excited for the built in luxury of quiet time – on the planes, nighttime and early morning. My Bible and I are getting together again. Of course, He’s been there all along. I’ve been the one out of alignment. My heart is rejoicing because I’m back on track. God is so great.