Hey there Friend :)
Welcome back to the blog!
I hope you are having a good morning, that you are well rested, prepared, on time, at peace and that you have a great expectation for what Jesus will do in your day.
Maybe while you read this sentence you're thinking "haha.. what even is a good morning?" or "I haven't had one of those in a loooong time".
Don't worry, I'm sure there are a lot of us that can relate. Actually, I know that there are a lot of us that are probably just trying to survive and we don't even have time to think about where to start to make a change.
I was recently in conversation with a group of friends and we talked about how our daily quiet time / Bible study time looked. The room was silent. I could feel the conviction in the room. Everyone was just trying to keep their heads above water and make it through each day. No one actually spent intentional time with the Lord. None of us were seeking Him and asking for His help and guidance in our daily lives. Funny enough this wasn't just a group of people that were in the same season of life. They were young and old, single, married, parents and students, employed and unemployed.
Not counting myself out of the equation, I was shocked. We were a community of friends, following Jesus, outspoken Christians and at that moment in time none of us were actively seeking the Lord. This was so alarming. I thought about how busy life has become for everyone and it opened my eyes to a deeper question... "Why?"
How could we let this happen? Why aren't we thriving? And how can we fix this awful sequence of events that just seem to be repeating itself?
The answer is so simple. We are to Walk with the Holy Spirit.
What does this look like for us as the working, the kids-raising, the studying and the unemployed Christians in our daily life? I think it looks like surrender. It looks like humbling ourselves long before we reach a point of exhaustion and complete burnout. Long before we come to a place of just surviving. It looks like asking the Holy Spirit to be with us and guide us in everything we do. We are in utter dependance of Him. From waking up, going to bed and everything in between.
I think the biggest cause of burnout in my opinion, and from patterns that I've recognised in my own life, is pride. We are so prideful. We want control and we have such selfish desires.
We take matters into our own hands, operate out of our own strength and understanding. And when we've become tired enough to realize that we are not thriving in our daily lives, then only do we turn to Jesus.
Maybe as you read this you realize that you are in an awful cycle. Maybe Holy Spirit is nudging you to make a shift today. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to come and fill us afresh. We lay down our lives for the One who knows us inside out, He knows our needs, He knows where we got stuck and He knows what good things He has planned for us long ago.
Holy Spirit, we humble ourselves now and surrender all the pride and distractions that pull us away from doing life with you. Come and lead us, guide us and make us more dependant on You. For as it says in John 15:5: Apart from You we can do nothing.
My heart is that you would be encouraged today. We as a community of believers should stand together and help each other fight against the busyness and patterns of this world. We are to look different and we can be confident that we know the answer to a thriving, abundant life. Not without trials or challenges ofcourse. But in constant conversation with the Holy Spirit, walking in step with Him. This is my prayer for you and me today.
Blessings xx