James 4:8 — Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.

You might have caught, at the end of yesterday’s devotion, a sense that I don’t always find this Christian life easy. And I really don’t. In fact sometimes I find myself echoing the heartfelt, if blasphemous, line from the Ballad of John and Yoko — “Christ you know it ain’t easy,You know how hard it can be.” Please don’t over-interpret — of course I don’t compare the little aggravations of my life with what Jesus suffered, and if John Lennon thought he had it tough he had no idea how hard it could be … But sometimes I listen to other Christians, and I read devotions, and they all make it sound so easy. And it isn’t, at least not for me.
I know I’m a work in progress, but some of the old me wasn’t very pretty and some of it still comes out now and then. I’d tell you to talk to Myra to get a witness, but she’s reluctant to criticize me in public — so you’ll have to take my word for it. I can be crabby, selfish, petty and miserable. I try to edit what comes out of my mouth, but some of my thoughts are not pretty. I used to have a flaming temper — now, by the grace of God, the fires are mostly banked down — but there’s still the risk of a flare up at any time.
One habit that really helps me is my daily quiet time. On the Lanai or in our great room just me, a cup of coffee, my Bible, and The Lord. I try to get closer to God, and sometimes — just sometimes — I get a whisper of Him getting closer to me. I try to open my heart, and show Him the uncertainties I’m dealing with. I try to show Him the blood on my hands and ask Him to clean it off.
Praying, meditating in scripture … A “spiritual wash”, every morning, is essential. But, you know, that’s not always easy either. It seems clear that Jesus had a quiet time. Let’s look at one of His:

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. (Mark 1:35-37)

He got up early, found a quiet place and prayed — and then what? Distractions, that’s what. Even Jesus couldn’t get away from the busyness of the day — the busyness came and found Him. In my “quiet” time, I’m often surrounded by noise – traffic, local businesses … All sorts of things. When I’m traveling, in different time zones, there’s even competition for that vital thirty minutes. But I persevere. My quiet time is vital. Without it, the old man gets the upper hand over the new man. It ain’t easy …