Kids are napping, house is quiet

I am understanding, lately, why it is that Jesus needed to get away to a quiet place so often in His earthly ministry.  Of late, I have been becoming more and more overwhelmed by the noise and busyness of life around me.  I have been very tense, on edge, and irritable.  And when I do find myself finally sitting down to be with the Lord, I am so tense and on edge that I cannot focus nor settle my mind long enough to find my time enjoyable.  I try to pray and study and cannot stop thinking about all things I have do; the things that have me frustrated and discouraged; the things that I have not been able to accomplish do to time; and when I find an interruption to what I am doing, I grow more agitated and tense.

As I have stopped to ponder and evaluate my manner, I have come to some conclusions:

1. I MUST find time alone, in the quiet, away from all the noise and distractions (even things that are good and beneficial) to be with God and allow Him strengthen me.  Jesus made this a priority in His life.  He was often going away to be alone to pray and fellowship with His Father and seeking strength and encouragement.  I need time away from my iPod, my family, my ministry, my to do list, my activities, and to be alone with God.
2. I have begun to struggle with this agitation and irritability because I have failed to find this time but also because I have allowed distractions in my life that take away from focus and view from the goal; the prize.  I have allowed my fleshly desire for entertainment, amusement, and comfort to get in the way again.  
3. I have allowed financial strain, ministry challenges, , relational challenges, parenting challenges, and the like to steal my focus from biblical truth and place it on earthly ideals instead.  I have allowed myself to be distracted from the truths that I need to be rooted upon.  

I have been reminded by these things how vitally important it is for me to make my quiet, alone time with God so preeminent in my life.  I have been reminded why Jesus made it so in His. I have also been reminded how vitally important it is for me to be in the Word, studying it, memorizing it so that I can stand upon it when all else falls.  Yesterday and today are both testimonies to how the truth can strengthen and defy the evils of my flesh, this world, and the devil.  When feeling discouraged, I was able to turn to the scripture that I have memorized with the men in my D-Team and use them as enemies against the discouragement, frustration, and temptation to doubt God and turn to the world.

My quiet time alone with God and away from the distractions of the world CANNOT and MUST NOT be forfeited or stolen away.  It is vital to my spiritual health and growth.