Lysa TerKeurst's Blog, page 25

Unrush Me

Ever felt like you’ve set your life to the rhythm of rush? Me too.

Sometimes it takes stepping out of the rush to see things. Recently, I went to the Holy Land. It was a trip I’d longed to take for years. But as the day to leave marched closer and closer, I wished I’d scheduled it later—another time, a time when life didn’t feel so busy.

Exhaustion gnawed deep places in my heart, demanding me to slow down. But how? I’ve made my decisions and now my decisions have made me. Me — this shell of a woman caught in the rush of endless demands.

But the trip was booked, so I went. And I’m forever glad I did. In the Holy Land, busy took a break from chasing me. This trip forced me to “unrush,” and I discovered I like who I am so much better when I’m not set to the wrong rhythm.

I also learned so much about Jesus. His life. His decisions. His lessons.

Today, I’m sharing the most impactful lesson about unrushing that I learned over at (in)courage – will you join me? I have a feeling you might need a breath of fresh air in your schedule. Click here to read more.

We’ll also talk more about an unrushed life in my free, 5-day “Unrush Me” devotional. It’s so easy to sign up and it’s a sneak preview of the message of my new book, The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands. The devotional will be sent right to your email every morning to encourage you before all of the day’s demands come flooding in. Click here to sign up.

Today, I’m giving away an advanced reader copy of The Best Yes as well as a beautiful “Unrush Me” necklace here on the blog and at (in)courage… so you have two chances to win!

To enter, leave a comment below with a simple way that you can unrush your schedule right now. Or, be among the first to pre-order your copy of The Best Yes and receive $50 of free resources! Just click here to get your copy.

Related posts:

It’s Almost Here… “The Best Yes”
When God’s Assignments Feel Almost Impossible
Experience the Holy Land Without Having to Leave Home

An Invitation To Come Over?

For years I’ve wished instead of sending my blog out through pixilated letters that I could just meet you at a coffee shop and chat.

I just know we’d have the best time! And while that might be a bit complicated for most of the coffee shops I frequent, I think I’ve finally figured out a way for us to have some face-to-face time.

So consider today’s blog like a little invitation I’m slipping right underneath your door…

On August 12th I’m releasing my new book, The Best Yes, and I wondered if you might want to come to Charlotte and join me for a free, live webcast and release party?

We have so many fun events planned for the day… Q&A session, mix and mingle, worship, and of course, the webcast where I’ll share a message. I’d love to have you join me! Here are the details:

Who: You, me, the Proverbs 31 Ministries team and anyone you’d like to invite!

What: The Best Yes Release Day Party and Live Webcast

When: August 12th – doors open at 5:30PM

Where: 8835 Blakeney Professional Drive, Charlotte NC

Click here to reserve your spot for this free event. Please note: tickets are limited!

And if you can’t quite make it to Charlotte on August 12th, no worries. You can still tune into The Best Yes webcast online and invite your friends to watch with you!

Just provide your email address in the form below, and we will keep you in the loop about how to join the free webcast.

So whether I see you in-person on August 12th, or through a computer screen, please know I am thankful for you. Your prayers, love, and support mean the world to me.

Related posts:

It’s Almost Here… “The Best Yes”
Turning a House into a Home on a Thrift Store Budget: Day 1
Little Touches of Fall

It’s Almost Here… “The Best Yes”

Every time I release a book, I go through this intense time of fear. It’s a bit like standing in front of the whole world with a bathing suit on which is scary on so many levels.

I package my heart up, the good and bad, in pages and release it into the world. It’s thrilling. It’s terrifying. And so goes the life of an imperfect girl, imperfect writer.

I’m never the hero of my books.

I write from the hurt of my struggle and the hope of God’s truth. My books seem to travel like whispers from deep places and end up leaking out through pixelated letters.

Beth Moore once said, “Authors don’t always choose their books. Their path, and more often their pain, does the picking.”

My new book, The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands, did just that. It picked me.

I wrote this message because I need this message.

And now on August 12th I’ll (sit and chew my fingernails to the nub) watch as it finds its way to friends like you.

Having you as my blog friend is a gift. It’s a good feeling to not be alone.

And today I want to share why I wrote The Best Yes.

I wrote it because I’m tired of rushing and stressing and missing out on the sweet parts of life. I found myself saying, “I’ll do that thing that makes my soul come alive when I can find time.” But no one in the history of the world has ever found more time or made more time.

We all get 168 hours a week. No more. No less.

And too many of us are missing out on too much.

We have to slow the rhythm of rush in our lives so the best of who we are can emerge.

Part of the rush is due to people pleasing. I’m a chronic people-pleaser. I’d love to say I’m a recovering people-pleaser. That sounds so much more tidy.

The truth is people pleasing is so engraved in my thinking process, I really have to be conscious of it every single day.

So knowing how to say no and when to say yes is definitely woven into this message.

But there’s something deeper that pulses through the pages of this book. When I set my life to the rhythm of rush, I just quite honestly don’t like who I am.

Rushing robs me of the sweetest parts of life – the parts of life that feed my soul. When a woman lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule, she’ll ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.

And I guess I’m just tired of that deep ache.

Maybe you are too?

Instead of constantly dreading saying yes and feeling powerless to say no, there’s another option.

And that is to ask, “What is my Best Yes in this?”

In The Best Yes, we’ll discover together how to:

• Cure the disease to please with a biblical understanding of the command to love.

• Escape the guilt of disappointing others by learning the secret of the small no.

• Overcome the agony of hard choices by embracing a wisdom-based decision-making process.

• Rise above the rush of endless demands and discover your Best Yes today.

When I unrush myself and use the Best Yes as a filter of every decision I make, the best of me emerges. And I want to live with the best of me, front and center in my life all the time.

I suspect you want to live with the best of you, too.

So I want to invite you to be among the first to pre-order your copy of The Best Yes today. Pre-ordering is fun because I have gifts for my friends who order their book now. (Besides me blowing kisses and whispering “thank yous” in your direction) you’ll receive free resources that won’t be available once the book hits stores August 12th:

Pre-Order 1 copy today and you will receive for FREE….

- The Best Yes audio book

- New, exclusive mini eBook from me

- A 2-minute “Thank you!” video from me

- A keynote message teaching The Best Yes

- 25 beautiful, shareable, printable quote images from the book

Valued at: $50

Pre-Order 8 or more copies today and you will receive for FREE…

- All of the above plus…

- The Best Yes eBook

- Group discussion questions

- 4 posters featuring artwork with key phrases from The Best Yes

- The Best Yes Study Guide (Available to the first 100)

Valued at: $125

Pre-Order 100 or more copies today and you will receive for FREE…

- All of the above plus…

- FaceTime call for me to connect personally with your small group or ministry (Available to the first 20. Each call will last about 20 minutes.)

Click here to find out more information and to purchase your copy (or copies) today!

And just in case you can’t wait until August 12th… I’m giving away 3 copies of the Advanced Reader Version of The Best Yes.

(Insert me sweating and hoping I used awesome deodorant today.)

Leave a comment below telling me what part of The Best Yes message resonates with your life right now.

 

 

Related posts:

Why I’m Breaking Up With My “Quiet Time”
It’s Here… What Happens When Women Say Yes to God Devotional!
Friday Favorites: Leadership Blogs

Turning a House into a Home on a Thrift Store Budget: Day 3

It’s day #3 and I’m so excited to do the big reveal of Alison’s room makeover!

And I know you’ve been waiting ever-so-patiently this week to see the final result. I love that about you. I won’t make you wait one more second. So, without further ado… (drumroll please)

(If you’re viewing this in an email, click here to watch the video.)

As a recap, here’s the whole process from beginning to end:

1. Shop your home – look for artwork, frames, and greenery from outside.

2. Head to the thrift stores with a general idea in mind of what you would like to purchase.

3. Bring it back home, paint it, distress it, and mix it in. Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful! Thanks, Nester, for that freeing thought.

“Nester Notes”: 3 Steps for Successful House Therapy

1. Start in one room.

2. Don’t do everything at the same time.

3. Start with what you have.

I’m so thankful my friend, Nester, was able to join us this week! But this isn’t goodbye – you can visit her blog anytime by clicking here.

You can also bring her style and expertise into your home with her book, The Nesting Place.

Click here to purchase your copy! Buying this resource today from Proverbs 31 Ministries is a great way to support our ongoing mission of getting Biblical truth into every home. Makes a perfect treat for yourself or gift for a friend. Thank you for your support!

Today, I’m giving away 3 signed copies of The Nesting Place. To enter, leave a comment telling me your favorite thing you learned this week.

Related posts:

Turning a House into a Home on a Thrift Store Budget: Day 2
Turning a House into a Home on a Thrift Store Budget: Day 1
Little Touches of Fall

Turning a House into a Home on a Thrift Store Budget: Day 2

It’s day #2 of our room renovation project, and today we’re going to talk about the transformation process.

How do we pull something together and make it feel like a home?

I wrestle with this a lot.

I overanalyze, deliberate, buy too many things that I’m not sure if I like, and I’m indecisive as to what to do with it all when I get home. So I’m thankful that The Nester is with us today to share tangible ways to pull a room together. Check out the video below for more:

(If you’re viewing this in an email, click here to watch the video.)

“Nester Notes”: 3 Steps for Pulling a Room Together

1. Pull everything, except the big furniture, out of the room. Put the big things in the right place.

2. Focus on your main wall(s). For us, this was the gallery wall and the fireplace.

3. Spruce things up by adding in the “Tchotchkes and Gee-gaws.”

This all seems pretty do-able now, even for me. That’s a miracle.

Maybe you’re wishing you could invite The Nester into your space. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough Nesters to come into everyone’s home, but you can buy her amazing book, The Nesting Place, for help with all of your decorating needs. It’s so easy to understand – I feel like she jumps right out of the pages and into my space.

Click here to purchase your copy.

Stay tuned for one more post tomorrow on the finished room. I promise you don’t want to miss the big reveal!

Today, I’m giving away 3 signed copies of The Nesting Place. To enter, leave a comment below telling me which room in your home you’re going to tackle with all the new tips you’ve learned this week.

Related posts:

Turning a House into a Home on a Thrift Store Budget: Day 1
Little Touches of Fall
I want to take you backstage at Women of Faith!

Turning a House into a Home on a Thrift Store Budget: Day 1

I stood in the grocery store line staring at all the picture perfect homes featured on the displayed magazine covers. Their glistening perfection mocked my reality.

Those homes looked so inviting and put together.

How did they know to paint that table that color? Put those different patterned pillows on the same couch? And hang those pictures in an offset way that still looks so very balanced?

I decided to go home and give it a whirl. But I walked into my space and felt overwhelmed and paralyzed.

Have you ever felt that way?

We want our homes to have a welcoming look that functions well for our family but for the life of us, we can’t figure out how to pull it all together. And even if we have a decorator’s knack and a grand vision for making our space lovely, our budget taps us on the shoulder and reminds us of just how limited we are.

Well… what if I told you that what you’ve already got in your home, coupled with a little thrift store shopping, is enough to turn at least one of your rooms into a space you’ll love?

That’s why I want to do a special series this week. We are about to learn together how to turn a house into a home on a thrift store budget. One of my co-workers, Alison, has agreed to be our featured makeover.

Alison only has $250 and three days to take her den from drab to fab.

And since I’m really no help at all in this area, I’ve invited my sweet friend, Myquillyn Smith (also known as The Nester), to do this fun decorating project with me and my team. You don’t want to miss our thrifting and sifting and wandering through all kinds of fun places!

I think you’ll find some simple ideas that you can easily incorporate into your own space.

And the best part? You won’t break the bank. Not even close.

Watch the video below to see what I mean. (If you’re viewing this in an email, click here to watch the video.)

“Nester Notes”: 5 Simple Reminders for Thrifting, Yard Saleing and Antiquing

1. Go with an open mind. Don’t walk in looking for a 20-inch green leather ottoman. Instead have a general idea of things you could use like a wooden chair, a lamp, a large decorative vase, etc.

2. Ask yourself, “If this was in Anthropologie would I love it and want to buy it?” If the answer is yes, you should buy it now!

3. Look first at size, shape, condition and function of items. You can usually change the color and fabric if you like it.

4. Don’t expect to find something every time you shop. Grab a drink from Sonic and just enjoy the process of looking through the items. If I can hit five stores in one day, I usually (but not always) end up with a few interesting items.

5. Start small and work up to bigger risks. Don’t buy the $150 dresser from the thrift store in hopes of refinishing it if you’ve never tried it before. Instead, start with the $7 night stand. What’s the worst that can happen? You hate it and lose $7. But if it works?! You now have a nightstand you LOVE for just a few dollars; this is SO worth the risk.

Isn’t Nester so smart and adorable? You will absolutely want to get her book, The Nesting Place. Click here to purchase your copy! You’ll find it chock-full of great tips, beautiful pictures from Nester’s home, and sweet perspectives teaching “it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.” You’ll feel right at home reading it.

Today, I’m giving 3 commenters a signed copy of The Nesting Place. To enter, leave a comment below telling me which friend you plan to invite to join us here on the blog this week.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for more decorating tips and to see the exciting progress on Alison’s room makeover.

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Practical Ways to Keep Your Family Connected
Little Touches of Fall
Consider the Trade

What is the Secret to Not Freaking Out?

A couple of years ago I overheard my daughter Hope telling a friend that she was so glad I didn’t get all worked up over grades. Not trying to be nosey but totally wanting to be nosey, I kept listening.

She went on to explain that she and her brothers and sisters were expected to do their best, but in the end, as long as they work hard, Art and I were okay with whatever grade they received.

For the most part, this is right.

This hasn’t always been the case. When Hope started kindergarten, I felt compelled to help her succeed. I felt enormous pressure because I believed success in school meant success in life, and I wanted to set my child up for success.

She was a bright child. She was an articulate child. But try as I might, all through kindergarten she couldn’t read.

Then came first grade. All of the other kids in her class were reading with ease. Some were even reading chapter books! Not my daughter. I panicked. I had her tested. I worried constantly that I must be doing something wrong as her mother.

In the end, it was a readiness issue with her. When she was ready, she starting reading.

Then along came my next child, who was reading at four years old. Finally I’d done something right, I reasoned.

But then child number three came along, and she was my slowest reader yet.

Through all of this, God started to untangle the misperception that success in school determines success in life. And that as a parent, it is up to me to push, plead, demand, and determine my child’s future.

Slowly, I realized God has a plan for each of my kids. As long as I am depending on the Lord to guide me as a parent, nothing I do or don’t do will mess up my kid’s future.

As their parent, it’s my job to guide them, but my guiding shouldn’t have their success in the world’s eyes as the ultimate goal. My guiding should be focused on leading them into a relationship with God, where He’ll make their path straight, no matter what their grades are.

As a parent, this revelation has provided such freedom for me and my kids.

I can celebrate that if one of my kids excels in a subject, that particular success is needed for whatever God intends for them to eventually do in life. If, however, a child struggles and can’t grasp a certain subject—well, that’s also part of God’s direction.

Of course, working hard, doing your best, and being a conscientious student are important. But in the end, for me and my home, grades are not the ultimate determination of success.

This child may never make marks in school that the world highly esteems, but giving her the freedom to excel in the way God has designed her is already paying off. She has an eternal perspective that’s more valuable for her future than any academic accolade.

I’m convinced her struggles in school are actually God’s way to keeping her on the path He’s had for her since she was conceived. Hope was conceived only four months into our very rough start of a marriage. Art and I were two broken sinners thrust into the responsibility of trying to raise a child.

The day Hope was born I saw God like never before. His tender grace was handed to me wrapped in a pink blanket with eyes so wide, so blue, they were a sea of forgiveness forever staring back at me.

I’d never physically touched God, but that day I did. And maybe for the first time in my entire life, His hope rushed inside of me and started rearranging and redeeming my brokenness.

Hope.

We named her Hope.

Now, we won’t talk about the conversations I had with God when His Hope kept me up in the middle of the night for months after that. And we will save the story of how His Hope has always felt it was beneath her to be the child, and she would put her hands on her toddler hips and tell me not to boss her.

We’ll save those stories for another day.

Because I’ll never forget an e-mail I got from His Hope while she was on a mission trip. Hope was walking the broken roads of Ethiopia navigating poverty her mind couldn’t quite process. She bumped into sheep and a woman walking toward her house made of cardboard and ripped bedsheets.

Hope’s steps were steady, though her heart felt shaky as she loved on 30 kids dying of AIDS in a forgotten orphanage on the forgotten outskirts of town.

She wrote to say, “Mom, I’ve fallen in love. The kids rushed at me when I walked in and I tried to hold all 30 of them at one time.”

His Hope.

From a broken mama. Into a broken world. His Hope is still going forth like only His Hope can.

So, all that to say, yeah—I don’t get all worked up over grades. Trusting God’s plan is the only secret I know in the gentle art of not freaking out.

Join thousands of other moms who are also looking to God for what they need each day with Proverbs 31 Ministries’ online Bible study of my book, Am I Messing Up My Kids? It begins July 13th and you don’t want to miss it. Click here for more information and to sign up today!

To get us started for the study, I’m giving away 5 copies of Am I Messing Up My Kids? to randomly chosen commenters. To enter, leave a comment telling me how you keep your freak-out moments under control.

Related posts:

Thank God for Smelly Shoes
Why Do I Feel That It’s My Fault When My Child Messes Up?
Moms: Let’s Make This Pledge

When God’s Assignments Feel Almost Impossible

I pulled into my driveway and stared at this gathering place my people call “home.” And my heart whispered …

Lord, am I doing all of this right?

This life You’ve entrusted to me, these people You’ve entrusted to me, this calling You’ve entrusted to me … I desperately want to get it right. To live without painful regret gnawing deep within. To know that I gave it my very best. To please You. Love them. Smile more than I frown. Laugh more than I complain. See the beauty tucked within all these sacred moments of just being together and remember to whisper, Thank You.

Thank You for all of it. The whole package deal of good and bad and highs and lows. For all that mixed together sets about a process of making me. The me that needs the tough stuff to mature me. The sad moments to soften me. The thrilling moments to invigorate me. The poignant moments to endear me. The complicated moments to challenge me. The quiet moments to unrush me.

I need it all.

But sometimes, in the midst of all the moments that are making me into the woman You created me to be, I get awfully tired and discouraged.

And I find myself sitting in my driveway wondering. Staring at the culmination of thousands of decisions I’ve made that have brought me here. To this home. This family. This life. I made my decisions and then my decisions made me.

I’m thankful, yes. So very thankful. But I need You to whisper reassurance into my heart that You’re with me. That You see me. And that You are pleased with me. I just need to know, Lord, am I doing this right?

Have you ever had one of those driveway discussions with God?

Have you ever looked at your life and wondered, like I do, if you’re on the right track?

I think most of us girls think these thoughts. That’s why 20 years ago, I helped start a place where we could gather and learn God’s perspective on how to do life through the pages of His Word. Proverbs 31 Ministries exists because I desperately needed someone to help me connect life with God’s truth. And I still do.

So, every day my team and I gather to think through and pray over every aspect of our ministry – our free daily devotions, online Bible studies, radio shows, social media encouragement, and more. We’re a rag-tag team of passionate, imperfect girls determined to bring God’s Word front and center into your world. My deepest prayer is that as we encourage you, we’re helping equip you to take that encouragement into your family and your sphere of influence.

I think about you every time I put my fingers on the keyboard of my computer and tap, tap, tap tangled thoughts that eventually become words from my soul to yours here on my blog and through Proverbs 31 Ministries. I see you standing in your corner of the world. Mentally I draw a circle around you representing all the people you reach and influence each day.

Then I step back and imagine hundreds of thousands of circles of influence representing more than one million women who engage with us on a daily basis. And I’m amazed how collectively our circles of influence cover almost the whole world.

You, me and all the others who gather here are making a worldwide impact.

Jesus instructed us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation,” (Mark 16:15). That seems an impossible task for someone who sits in her driveway and feels fragile and wonders all the things I sometimes wonder. Can you relate?

But, I can reach my sphere of influence with God’s Word woven in and out of my simple sentences typed into simple devotions and blog posts. And I can pray that somehow God’s Word becomes a filter for your thoughts as you get these pieces of encouragement each day. And then when you pass it along to friends or talk about it in your everyday conversations … it’s multiplied by almost a million.

Together we are going into all the world with the good news! Amazing, what we can do together.

As we head into the summer months, we know donations tend to decrease and yet this is the time of year when our growth initiatives increase. In fact, this month we are on our knees asking God to raise $75,000 to help with the leaner summer months. If you’ve been impacted by Proverbs 31 Ministries or want to support the life-changing work taking place here, I want to invite you to join us. Here are three steps you can take today:

1. Support Proverbs 31 Ministries through your prayers and financial gifts. While our devotions, online Bible studies, and other resources are free to you and me, they aren’t free to the ministry. Every gift we receive today will be celebrated by our staff ringing a “blessing bell” in our office and thanking God for you by name. Click here to make a donation today.

We are praying for 50 new monthly partners to commit to giving $31/month to support new initiatives of expanding the reach of our daily devotions. Click here to become a monthly giving partner.

2. Sign up for the free Proverbs 31 Ministries Encouragement for Today devotions and send this link to a friend so she can sign up too!

3. Give a friend the Proverbs 31 Ministries NIV Real-Life Devotional Bible for Women. All proceeds go back into the ministry, and it’s on sale today for only $24.99! Click here to purchase a Bible.

Thank you! And, if you find yourself wondering about life as you sit in your driveway, let me be a friend who whispers deep into your heart, “Keep going. You’re doing better than you think you are. Now, let’s go change the world together.”

Related posts:

The Day I Lost My Smile
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She Challenged Me

What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do

I felt so fragile sitting in the parking lot of Target, too sad to stop crying. And though my hand held a list of things that really couldn’t be put off another day, I was now entirely too tired to run errands or do much of anything. So there I sat. Alone.

Moments earlier, a friend had called to tell me something she’d seen posted about me online.

I pulled up the social media page my friend alerted me about, and there it was for all the world to see: opinions about me flying through the internet, intent on ripping me apart. Others debated me as if I were a product sitting on a shelf, void of a soul. As soon as I read the unkind words, daggers hit their mark deep inside my heart.

I tried to give myself a little pep talk, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Who on God’s green earth came up with that ridiculous mantra? It’s not true. I cried a little more.

Maybe you’ve sat in a Target parking lot crying too. The circumstances might have been different, but the hurt is the same … that sliced-open feeling of being judged, misunderstood, and wrongly exposed for the purpose of a good debate.

And I’m sure, like me, you instantly wanted it all to stop.

So, what’s a girl to do when she’s feeling desperate to fix something that can’t be immediately fixed?

What do you do when you don’t know what to do?

I’m sharing an imperfect solution that will at least get our toes pointed in the right direction over at (in)Courage today. Click here to read the rest of my post and to chat a bit. I’ll be there this morning with coffee in hand and arms wide open.

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3 Questions You Must Ask Before Reacting
Breathing Life Into The Hard Places

Why I’m Breaking Up With My “Quiet Time”

Today I’m linking up with my sweet friend, Bonnie Gray, on her “Finding Spiritual Whitespace” blog tour. We’re sharing ways to feed your soul and strengthen your relationship with God. To learn more and join us, click here! Here’s how I’ve been finding spiritual whitespace…

I’m taking a break from having a quiet time. Because sometimes I can get in a rut. Even with good things. And having a daily quiet time is a good thing. Until it becomes more about routine than actually connecting with God.

When God becomes routine rather than revival, it’s time to switch things up.

Otherwise, I might start seeing this time as less important. It becomes the second or third thing I do. After other things. Seemingly more pressing things. Before I know it, it’s been days since I connected privately and personally with Truth.

And then my soul feels a bit off and sluggish. Like when my stomach has been denied food, a desperation starts creeping over other parts of my body. That happens with soul hunger too.

Only the triggers for stomach hunger are much more apparent. My brain quickly reminds me, “You feel awful because you need to eat.”

Sometimes my brain isn’t as quick to pick up on soul hunger. So I just lumber forward but wonder, “What’s wrong?” I think of a list of reasons … I’m tired, I haven’t had enough fun, or my butt looks big in these jeans.

And while some of those things may be true—it’s not why I feel off.

I need more time with God.

Not more quiet time.

More listening time. Like the writer in Psalm 63:1 needed. “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek You; I thirst for You, my whole being longs for You, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” (NIV)

Recently, as I sat with God with nothing but willingness to listen, three things popped into my mind. I can’t say “God spoke to me” but it felt right. I need to do some new things as I listen.

Study wisdom by reading a chapter in Proverbs every day.

Ask God to reveal “my verse” for the day and think of ways to apply it. I listen.

Read something from someone I admire.


I need to study leadership in this season of my life. So, I pick up a book written on this topic by someone I admire and glean from their wisdom. I listen.

Read something from someone I trust.


There’s a book I’m reading right now that is whimsical and grounded all at the same time. It makes me feel like this writer gets me. They get my struggles and offer up advice I know I can trust. I listen.

Maybe you think all this still sounds like a quiet time, but to me it’s different. It’s a listening time. A time to shake things up a bit and get outside my normal routine. A time to listen to God speak. And He does speak … through His book of wisdom, through someone I admire, and through someone I trust.

And this morning? My soul felt that thrilling and comforting full feeling. Complete. Satisfied. Deeply nourished.

I’m giving away 5 copies of Bonnie’s new book, Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest. In it, she shares her inspiring, heart-breaking journey to find rest. I suspect maybe that’s something you can relate to. I know I can!

Leave a comment below telling me how you’re seeking nourishment for your soul. 5 winners will randomly be chosen from the comments. I can’t wait to hear how you’re finding spiritual whitespace!

 

 

Related posts:

The Day I Lost My Smile
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Thank God for Smelly Shoes