Before Keith’s first deployment we were living in two separate states. I was in South Carolina and he was in Kentucky. I wasn’t able to go to Ft. Campbell with him because our girls were born prematurely and still needed medical attention. They were actually still in the NICU when he graduated from CHOBC (his Chaplain school) and he had to report to his first duty station. He rented a small furnished apartment in the few months he was there before he deployed. There was a small desk in his apartment in that he began using to do his writing. This desk became very important to him and I remember phone conversations where he would tell me about it. He worked very hard to keep his desk free of clutter. The only things he kept on the desk were a candle, his journal, his Bible, and a pen.
The girls and I moved to on post at Ft. Campbell before he returned from the deployment. It was a dream of mine to surprise him with a desk before he came home. So, a few days before he was due in, I loaded the girls into our mini van and we headed out to the local Hobby Lobby.
Oh, how I miss that store!!
I found the desk I was looking for and he was hinting at there. It is basically just a simple artist’s drawing desk. I also bought a light that attached to the desk and a stool as accessory pieces, because what’s a purchase without the proper accessories??
I stayed up until 3 am the night (morning?) before he came home putting the desk, lamp, and stool together. It was hard work and I felt like such a handy girl, but more than anything I was just so excited to be able to surprise Keith with that gift.
Skip ahead a year and a half and Keith is deployed again and abandoning his treasured writing desk.
He has graciously offered to let me use it while he is gone. I was really nervous about that at first and wasn’t sure if I wanted to or not. In a way I wanted it to sit empty, waiting for the real writer in this house to return home.
One of my goals for the deployment is to become more consistent with my Bible reading and prayer time. I decided that having a set place to do those things would help me to work on these goals, so I have started using Keith’s writing desk. I now understand why it was so special to him.
I have been getting up super duper early in the morning, and beginning my day with the Lord. This has made such a tremendous difference in my busy days at home with my children. I have a sense of peace about me that I haven’t had in a long, long time, maybe ever. I know it is because I am making my time with the Lord a real priority.
I would like to begin sharing some of that with you. Each morning I read several chapters from the Bible. I am using a specific reading plan. After reading I try to pick a verse of scripture to meditate on throughout my day and I journal some thoughts on it. I am going to begin sharing those here.
Today I read read 1 Samuel chapters 26-31. My focus was drawn to chapter 30 verse 6.
David was now in serious trouble because his men were very bitter about losing their wives and children, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
1 Samuel 30:6
When David was at his lowest, when he had lost EVERYTHING–his home, his children, his wives, and the trust of his men, he turned to the Lord. He found strength in the only place where true strength can be found. He found his strength in the Lord and he was able to go on and conquer his enemies. He found strength in the Lord HIS GOD. When I feel that all is lost and am at my lowest, may I follow David’s example and turn to the only one that can provide me with strength–the Lord MY GOD.