Real Talk. I’ve been struggling with taking care of my spirit, soul, and body lately.

I’ve been having such a hard time spending time with the Lord and working out and just…well, honoring the Lord by taking care of myself.

More than that, I’ve been having a hard time even wanting to spend time with the Lord.

Yikes, it’s hard to admit it, but I know we’ve all been there and I’m not the only one.

I think we all go through seasons like that, where it’s just…hard. We keep telling ourselves to be strong or disciplined and to just get it done. And life or anxiety or distractions or busyness or tiredness or Netflix just gets the better of us.

Or maybe it’s just the wintering of the soul, the ebbs and flows of life where we huddle into ourselves and walk through a wilderness.

We’ve all been there. We all will be there.

And I just want to remind you (and myself) of a couple things if you’re in that season with me.

1.) God’s voice is one full of grace. Grace upon grace upon grace upon grace….

I started beating myself up about it this weekend.

And the Lord interrupted me by saying “grace upon grace upon grace….”

Gosh, I love my Jesus.

“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” John‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

What is the Lord’s voice 👉🏼 the voice that gently convicts you, leads you to repentance through kindness, and calls you up higher into truth and righteousness by reminding you who He is and who you are in Him.

What is the enemy’s voice 👉🏼 the voice that shames you and tells you that you keep messing everything up, that you’re never gonna get it right, and tries to convince you that God is mad at you or far from you or that you have to do something/work to earn God’s favor.

NOT TRUE 🙅🏼‍♀️

So. If you’re struggling with spending time with the Lord or taking care of yourself or, really, anything at all this season, I want you to do this:

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and ask, “Jesus, what are you saying to me right now?”

And by listening to His kindness and love, let Him draw you into believing the truth and living it out 🫶🏼

Because THAT is the freedom that Jesus died to give us.

THAT is how we are transformed and made new day by day.

“Jesus, I want to want you. Lead my flesh into submission to your Spirit, and replace these lies with the truth of your love.”

2.) Try connecting with God in different ways

To be perfectly honest, reading and studying the Bible has just felt dry lately.

I still do my best to prioritize it, because the Word of God is my foundation and a light to my path, but I’ve been exploring different ways to connect with God in this season, as well.

One of them is through LISTENING to the Bible and a devotional, and encountering the Lord in just being still in silence, solitude, and gratitude.

Two apps that I’ve been loving lately are Pray As You Go and Lectio 365. What I love about them is that I can just get to a quiet place, put my headphones in, and just be with Jesus. They’re guided, give you breathing room to meditate on the Lord and talk with Him, and they lead you through Scripture and reflection. Aaaaaaand, I love that I can listen and spend time with the Lord while I’m doing dishes, on my way to work, walking the dog, etc.

But if you’re feeling stuck, try some different things.

p.s. did you know that i have an ecourse that teaches you step-by-step how to study the bible in depth and connect with god in a way that works for you, your schedule, and your personality? yep, it’s true. check it out here.

Here are some things you can try:

• Bible art journaling

• listening to a sermon

• reading a faith book and writing a prayer after you read it to ask the Lord for help in those areas (check out this list for some of my favorite books!)

• going for a walk and listening to the Bible

• gratitude journaling

• P.R.A.Y. journaling (praise, repentance, ask, yield)

• S.O.A.P (scripture, observation, application, prayer) Bible studying

• Asking the Lord a question and writing down what you feel like He said or showed you (practicing hearing Him)

• working out and listening to a sermon, Bible lecture, podcast, worship music, or Bible

• put on a worship recording on youtube and worship (you can draw, workout, write, dance, sing, etc.)

• going on a nature walk and talking to God

• trying a prayer app or guided prayer books (see my favorites on this list!)
  

  MAYBE HE’S SHOWING YOU A NEW WAY TO CONNECT WITH HIM.