A Well Placed Closet

Mark 1:35 -- "In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there."

A topic chosen more than once when I sit down to do some writing - it cannot be said often enough that there is absolutely nothing like a breaking dawn. More than the peace and the wonder of sitting back quietly to watch the world blink open it's sleepy eyes and the sun peek out above the tree line - day break IS promise. Today's mistakes haven't been made yet, time has yet to spin away from me, and the fresh pages on my day planner lay open and naked. It's beautiful promise. Is it any wonder that Jesus chose this moment in his daily routine to hide away and spend time with His Father? Stepping into a thick blanket of darkness holding it's breath as it awaits the first rays of sunshine to explode onto a new morning, Jesus left the house in which his followers were sleeping and hid away in the pre-dawn quiet. It's a wonderful image given to us in Mark's words as he describes his Savior.

It is not always easy to find a secluded place. Perhaps, that is why Jesus left the house and wondered out into the darkness. 

In a home with two teen-age boys, loud televisions, three pet cats, a washing machine that likes to do the jitter bug across the laundry room floor, and an ever-pumping A/C unit - it is VERY difficult to find a secluded place. A fellow home-schooling mom once gave to me her precious secret. She hides in the closet. As we sat on her porch swing at two in the morning watching the fog roll in, she said to me - "there is nothing quite like a well placed closet."

I have learned the truth of her words. And I can understand completely why Jesus left the house. It's a precious thing to have a few moments of quiet to be still and listen for God.

Date night with Steven, ladies night out, lazy Sunday afternoons are all jealously guarded moments I fight to keep. My time with Jesus should be no different. As a wife and mom juggling a few hats on a daily basis, it's important that I spend quality time with those I cherish. How much MORE important is it that I steal a few precious moments for my Savior, my Creator, .... my EVERYTHING?

Don't be afraid to sneak out. Don't be shy about hiding away to spend a few precious, quiet moments with YOUR everything. Even God's own Son needed to do this. What greater example could there be?