Yesterday was Parent-Teacher Conferences and, as such, I was at school for 13 1/2 hours. It was a good day — long — but good. This morning since it was Fall Break, I slept in.

Hurray for being able to turn off the alarm clock!

Even though this was a day off work, there was work to be done. And so I went grocery shopping — perhaps my least favorite of all chores.

I wandered up and down the aisles of my local supermarket, marked items off my list, avoided workers as they stocked shelves, added up the prices to make sure we stayed on budget, and suddenly I thought, “I’m starving!” Yes, I know, you aren’t supposed to go shopping when you are hungry. But the phrase, “I’m starving,” kept running through my head.

Because I’ve recently made commitments to myself and to others to live a healthier life, I try to respond to that kind of an internal message by evaluating… No. I wasn’t hungry — and I most definitely WASN’T starving.

Still, that phrase kept running through my head and my heart.

As I continued assessing where that feeling was coming from, I could find no reason to feel as though I was “starving.”

So I asked the One who knows all; I asked my Father why I was having that sensation of hunger.

And He answered.

His answer went something like this… “My daughter, you are not hungry for food, you are hungry for ME. You are hungry to be in my Word, to spend time talking and listening to me in prayer. You are missing that time when we are together. Me. You’re hungry for Me.”

I sensed His answer as clearly as if I’d heard His voice audibly. It was a sense deep in my spirit, a calling in my soul, an assurance in my heart that time with Him would fill me again.

Spending time with Him is my practice each night before I go to bed. I spend time in the Word and at different times during the day, I spend time in prayer, but sometimes I still need to do a more than usual. Sometimes I just need to go deeper.

My relationship with Him is like any other relationship of which I am a part. You see, I’ve been married to John for 32 years. I love him. We see each other daily — talk together, eat together, and laugh together every day. Earlier this week, I was grading papers when John came into our room and asked me if I would go on a date with him on Friday. Of course I said, “Yes,” and tonight we went out together. We shared some laughter and conversation, ate salad and pizza, and we drank Coke Zero at Pizza Ranch. It wasn’t a fancy time or even an “out of the ordinary” time. Instead, it was time spent doing what we always do. Even so, it was special because  we set that time apart — just to concentrate on each other — to focus on what we wanted to talk about — not what we needed to talk about. Those conversations are different.

It’s what God wants and it’s what I need.

I need to set aside a special time — time for more than just the normal reading and praying. I need to have a different kind of a conversation with my Father. I need a concentrated time to listen and to allow him to fill me again with His peace, His love, grace, assurance, and with His presence.

How about you?