Last week Friday I was home alone as the orders for my brand new devotional began to pour in. I had prepared and worked for this day for more than a half a year. And while I was excited and relieved that this day was finally here, I had this chest-tightening sense of defeat and heaviness that I couldn’t shake. Things were going as planned, even better in many ways, but something didn’t feel right. Something was off and I couldn’t shake it.

In the weeks leading up to launch day, I was super busy behind the scenes. Meetings with printers, proofreading. Revisions, more revisions. Sharing on social media, emailing, answering questions. The day before the launch, I was still running circles trying to finish samples of the product line and get pictures.

Once the book launched, I thought I’d be relieved, but instead had this sense of heaviness. Things were going well, I had accomplished all of my tasks, but for some reason, I felt completely unsettled and unfinished.

That Friday morning, I quickly realized what the heaviness was:

In all of the busy-ness of preparing women to hear what this book has to say, I myself had neglected my own quiet time with God. I had pushed Him out of the project that HE inspired me to do! 

In other words…I was a hypocrite who wasn’t heeding my own advice! *face palm*

I know it seems harsh but in all honesty, I don’t want to be a woman who sits behind her computer every day telling other women how important time with God is, and then ignore that truth in my own life. And not because I don’t want to “look bad” but because I believe so strongly that a relationship with God is something worth investing in and worth genuinely living for.

When I let space come between me and God, I notice a shift. My moods are heavier, my patience is shorter. My brain starts to believe the little lies of the enemy that make life seem so much more bleak than it actually is. 

When I let space come between me and God, I’m taking my eyes off of Him and letting the distractions and frustrations of life blind me to all of the goodness He has for me!

Think of it this way…

Do you ever get hangry? You know, that moodiness that reveals itself when you are super hungry and everything makes you mad? The only cure for “hangry-ness” is to eat some food and give your body the nourishment it craves. There are so many days where I find myself pushing snacks at my daughters after school because I want to hear about their day, and they are just to Hangry to tell me about it!  A few minutes after they eat a little something, the blood sugar balances and we can have those talks. The food nourishes the body and regulates everything, right down to the mood.

“…man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” Deuteronomy 8:3

“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 6:35

God refers to Himself as the Bread of Life. Just like those after-school snacks help temper my girls moodiness, God’s Word will nourish the soul, and time with Him will cure that “hunger” that we have to rest in Him. 

Quiet time with God in His Word isn’t just something for us to cross off of our to-do lists, it is vital to our soul-health!

This is a lesson I’m still learning. As I sit here and write to you each and every week, it’s a discipline that I am refining in my own life. So don’t  let discouragement  bring you down when you aren’t in God’s Word as you know you should be. Instead, take that discouragement and remember that it is a “hangry-ness” for God’s Word! Allow those feelings to be the motivation to seek your soul nourishment in God’s Word. Pull out your Bible, seek Him through prayer and let Him be a part of your day to day life.And when that unsettled burden hovers over your soul, take an honest look at how much space you’ve allowed to come in between you and the God who loves you. He is faithful and He is there. Make time with Him a priority, and as you get to know Him and respond to Him and what He’s done and continues to do, your hangry-ness will be replaced by the goodness of Him ♥️    

Bible Journaling Prompts

Apply what you’ve learned

***If you are new to Gathered & Sown and Bible journaling, watch this short video first***
♡ God tells us in His Word many times how we can be Spiritually fed through His Word. Journal about these examples this week:

  1. Hebrews 4:12-13
  2. John 6:22-59
  3. 1 Peter 2:1-12
  4.  2 Timothy 3:10-17
  5. Proverbs 3:1-12

 
♡ Take an honest look at your daily routine. Does time with God play a significant part of your day? How and where can you make an intentional choice to let Him in?
  
♡ Why do we need to study the Bible when there are Bible verses plastered everywhere? Let’s talk about that….
 

2 Responses

  1. It must of been in the air. Thursday & Friday I felt left out(alone). Others were busy & didn’t have much time for me. I talked to God & found out I was wrong. I am loved & cared for. God Bless everyone. Have a good holy week.

  2. What you said about checking it off our list really stood out.. I actually had a check list as a part of self care but instead it turned into man.. I better get it done so I don’t have to answer to the person keeping me accountable. As I have ventured into this side business, I have to remind myself that He has given me this opportunity and it’s in His timing..