Taking on another task at work? Sure.
Heading up another committee? Of course!
Serving in the church? Why would I not?!?
Spending more time with the Father? ….. When do I have the time? I have all these other commitments. I have three kids and a traveling husband. When they go to bed, I’m ready to pass out. Of course that’s after I wash the bottles, clean the kitchen, do the laundry. Mamas, you feel me. You are there right now.
I love that we are in it together. Yet, we usually do not let that side of us be as transparent as we should. Wouldn’t we be comforted to know we are doing alright? We are enough.
My last question convicted me for a few months. I was so busy, taking on way more than I could handle, but I have this fear of saying “no”, so instead I say “yes” to everything. And I know you probably do, too. With every “yes”, I pushed Jesus further away. Not that I ever stopped loving Him, I just wasn't spending quality time with Him.
When God started pressing on my heart to spend more time with Him, I pushed Him off. I went to church every Wednesday and Sunday. I prayed every night, morning, and at times, throughout the day. I read daily devotions. I’m a note-taking-person. A lover of words. Printed words especially, I have to use my real Bible. I love making notes and gingerly turning the thin pages. I take notes during every sermon. The thing I was missing was they were just words. Was I really digesting them? Letting them fill my body with nourishment?It wasn't until the last few months that I really started digging deeper into more than just the notes from Sunday sermons. My preacher posed the question one Sunday that struck me, “Is your walk with Jesus the same today as it was when you first started attending church/became a Christian?” If your answer is yes, you need to get up and move, people. We should know more about Christ today than we did yesterday.
My first step in obedience: Know my Savior. Really know Him.
I found a Bible study that truly made me delve deep into the Bible. People, life changer.
I’ve loved Jesus for a long time. And I thought that I was walking with Him. I have went deep into His word, I have completely and totally fallen in love with Jesus. My walk with Him has changed. I see Him now as my Good Shepherd and I am His sheep. I follow His steps. I trust and can hear His voice and commands in my soul when He calls. He has let me wander a few times in my life, but He has always led me back to Him.
My next step in my call was what challenged me a bit. I absolutely LOVED the Bible study I was going through and shared it with a few of my friends. Father continued to press on my heart to invite them to my couch and read His word with them. Give my girls a chance to fall deeper in love today than yesterday.
I love that the first page in the study talked about Moses. God called Moses to do something big. Like, go into Egypt and save His people from slavery, BIG. After 40 years in the wilderness, Moses did not feel like the most qualified person to get up and move in such a big way. God didn’t have to give him confidence to follow His command. He did something better. God promised Moses He would be with him through it all. "I will certainly be with you." Exodus 3:12
I felt like I would never be able to lead a study. Then the most miraculous thing began to stir in my soul. Hunger. Man, I thirst for His word. My Bible started going with me everywhere. I can’t turn many pages without seeing notes. I love that my Bible has some loving wear to it now. He promised He would be with Moses and He made the same promise to me, and y’all, I feel Him. With every ounce of my soul, He is right here with me.
I’ve been a Christian for a while. Now, it’s transformed. There’s a difference in attending church and being the church. There’s a difference in writing your preacher’s notes and writing your own notes. There’s a difference in loving Jesus and being in love with Him.
For the first time this Easter, I wept every time I thought of the cross. Jesus is so real to me now. Knowing what all He did while He walked this earth. Knowing His perfect and sinless life. Knowing how obedient He was to the Father. He did not have to die on that cross. He had the power to save Himself. But He did not. Thank you, Jesus, you didn’t.
Is God calling you to do something? Big or small. He’s calling you. And let me say, if He’s calling you, it’s BIG. He longs for a relationship with His children, not just a convenient relationship, an intimate one. Bible study with my girls starts tonight. It’s just seven girls that have known each other for a long time. We plan to have coffee and dig into His word. That’s small, yet so BIG. I'm thankful He continued to soften my heart and make me thirst for Him. It has transformed my walk and my life. This is one "yes" that we all need to answer to. It is the "yes" that will enrich life on this side of Heaven and the "yes" that will make all the difference for eternity.
Obedience. It is powerful.
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