Is it just me, or does anyone else have a romanticized idea of what their walk with God should be like? I mean, we picture God doing big things in our lives - we picture Him leading us to the ends of the world, we picture Him using us to build His Church, and serve His Kingdom - and He most definitely will do those things (though they may not always be as extravagant as we once pictured them to be). What I am talking about this morning, though, is not the big stuff - it's the small stuff. I'm talking about our daily walks, our little acts of obedience, and the picture we get in our heads of what they should look like. Specifically, "quiet time." It's a phrase we hear often in the church; it's "Christian-ese" for reading your bible and spending time in prayer. Somehow, and I speak particularly for the ladies (though this may be true for the guys too - help me out if it is, fellas) it got morphed into this very specific idea of a very specific setting and a very specific time - and suddenly, this one picture of quiet time is the ideal way to be in the presence of God. With room for some variation based on your setting, the picture you have of quiet time in your mind is probably something like this: It's early morning, the world is quiet outside. You're sipping on a hot cup of coffee, in a cute sweater - cozy and warm, yet still stylish. Maybe you're on the sofa, or at your kitchen table, the lights are dim. And if it's raining, then hey - you've really hit the jack pot. Or maybe you're on the beach, looking out at the ocean, all you can hear is the waves, probably still drinking coffee because apparently that's what all Christians do now - I don't know exactly what it is for you. But regardless, you do. You have a picture in your mind of what your perfect "quiet time" would be. The reality is, though - our lives are not pictures in our mind, nor do they look like Instagram accounts or Pinterest pages. So we can get very discouraged when we are trying to create a scenario that is just not possible, and honestly, just not realistic for our lives (and probably not even the person who posted it on Instagram). We make our coffee, we bundle up, we open our bibles - we stage ourselves for our time with Jesus. Maybe we even take a picture or two, ready to share with your followers to show them how devoted of a Christian you are (just me? No?). I do this - almost every morning. I make my coffee and open my bible, just "knowing" that this is the way I get close to God. This morning, though, was different. I was so hungry after my morning work-out I could not wait to get some nourishment until after my "quiet time." I skipped right over coffee (don't worry, I came back for it later). Instead, I made my protein shake, sat on my bed, and opened my bible. I was not looking comfy cute, my hair was not perfectly curled or my teeth even brushed. I was not warming my hands on a hot mug, or listening to the rain fall outside. No, I was sweaty and sleepy, and literally gulping down a protein shake as I sat down to pray, and guess what - God still showed up. Why do we feel like we need to stage our lives with Jesus? Why do we feel like we need to have this or that figured out before we come to our Father. God does not say, "Get your setting right." He says, "Get your mind right." He says, "Get your heart right." Most importantly, He says, "Come. As you are, where you are, all the time - come." So ladies, I challenge you to be real with yourself today, and be real with God today. God shows up in our authenticity - do you?
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Last night, laying in bed, exhausted from the week, I could not sleep. Mind racing with worry about the future, heart breaking from remembering the past, I called out to God - "Lord, take this weight from me... it is getting too heavy," to which He promptly replied, "I am trying." The reason it is so heavy is because you won't let go. "My daughter," He said to me, "the reason it is so heavy is because you won't let go. You are still carrying everything you said you give to me - your fears, your sadness, your anxieties. If you would just let them go, I can make your burden light. Let them go, my daughter, and let me carry that weight. Let go and trust." How often do I lay my life at the foot of the cross at night, only to pick it back up in the morning. |
AuthorHello! I'm Becca -humanitarian, caffeine addict, lover of books, people, and all things Jesus. You can find me in my pajamas, day dreaming about rainy days and saving the world. Archives
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