The Love Affair That’s Not With My Husband
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Lots of things on my list today.
I **need **to..... do the laundry, unload the dishwasher, and send emails to people at work.
I **should**..... exercise, renew my teaching license, and do things I'm putting off.
but more than anything, I **want** to *spend time with God.*
*Over the years,*
* I've developed a love affair*
* with the Word of God.*
[](http://brendayoder.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/mp9004432541.jpg)It started at fifteen when I read a translation of scripture that made God **personal **to me when an eating disorder consumed my mind, body, and spirit.
At seventeen, His word became **alive** to me when victory overcome temptation for the first time in that compulsive, addictive behavior. God provided a way out for me just like He promised (1Corinthians 10:13).
As a college student, His Word **convicted **me that while everything was permissible, not everything was beneficial, and I chose to give up sin I was living in (1 Corinthians 10:23).
As a young mom struggling with post-pardom depression, I learned **God ****cared about my struggle** to just get through the day (Psalm 142).
[](http://brendayoder.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/mp900444789.jpg)When depression was compounded with grief, I learned **God saw my tears**, recording each one of them (Psalm 56:8)
When fearful of leaving my children when going back to work, His Word **assured **me He would supply all of our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19).
As a parent struggling with anger, frustration, and a rebellious child, God **promised **me over and over again He would repay the years the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25).
When sitting with a colleague dying of a brain tumor, His word became a **balm **to her dying body, as she accepted Christ as her Savior in the bed of a nursing home.
I can list other times when His word has been living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword, laying bare all things before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account (Hebrews 4:12). I've been** laid bare** more times than I care to remember.
At this point in my life,
I've learned nothing satisfies
like the Word of the Living God.
In times of peace,
it **nourishes **and **strengthens**.
In times of pain,
it **heals** and gives **hope.**
In times of drought,
it brings **life**.
In the days and weeks to come,
I encourage you spend time,
***any time,***
in the life-giving Word of God.
Don't set yourself up for the ideal
because you'll get frustrated and quit.
Find the time that works for you.
[](http://brendayoder.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/mp900422360.jpg)*On the treadmill while exercising*
*On your smartphone while *
*waiting for a ball game or meeting*
*On your Ipad **in a place*
* where you can be alone*
*On a CD or Ipod while in the car*
*With the real deal*
*At your desk **ten minutes before *
*the kids come in the classroom*
* or the store is about to open*
*
*For me in this season,
it's with a cup of coffee
on the mornings I'm [not at school](http://www.brendayoder.org/2012/08/confessions-of-working-mom.html).
For you, it'll look different.
I challenge you to fast from other books right now, going straight to the Author who knows what you need more than anyone else.
**Time with Him is unlike any other.**
*Lord, Jesus, help us to run to you and your Word, seeking your life-giving truth that leaves us hungering for more. As a deer pants for water, cause our souls to thirst for you. Amen.*
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