Time Out

I spend a lot of time with my nephew, Rowan. I visited his home in Arizona over Christmas when he was four. We enjoyed going Christmas shopping, but like most 4 year olds, there were a couple of times I had to correct his behavior as we shopped. As I told him not to touch something in one of the stores, he turned on his heel, and said, "You're not the boss of me." His bold tone was a little less emphatic as he sat in the quiet seat and our shopping trip came to a premature end. Of course by dinner time he was my buddy again.

The following summer, he came to spend several weeks on our farm. He was here for just a few days when I walked to see him taking the dirt from a flower pot and laying it on the coffee table. As I said his name, in an oh-so-stern voice, he jumped. Then he brushed off his hands and said, “Here I come quiet chair,”

As I fought back laughter, and watched him take his seat on the time out stool in the dining room, I asked him why he was digging in the plant. He said, “I wanted to know what was under the dirt.”

He wasn’t trying to make a mess, in fact he was keeping his pile of potting soil pretty neat, with hopes he could put it back. But, he admitted knowing it would have been better to ask what was there, or to ask me to help him discover the mystery of the flower pot.

Thinking it over that evening, I thought of the times my curiosity has gotten me into trouble. Sometimes I’ve needed a time out because I simply wouldn’t listen to God’s voice telling me to stop. Sometimes, my disobedience told God, “You’re not the boss of me.” I may not have admitted it out loud, but walking in disobedience, or avoiding the things we know God has asked us to do, is just like Rowan’s proclamation of my lack of authority in his mind.

Today I value my time in the Quiet Chair. It is important to take a time out each day and sit quietly, thinking about my actions, and God’s voice of authority in my life.

Maybe today it’s time for you to take a time out. Or maybe you have a great way to listen for God’s voice. I would love to hear from you in a comment or email.