I have lived too much life, walked with too many people, and heard too many stories to not believe in spiritual warfare.

Psalm 40 has been my life verse. And as I let my tears fall to the carpet in that quiet chapel, I praised him again for reaching down his hand and lifting me from the brokenness and mess I created.

This morning practice might be a helpful tool.

You are always only ever redeeming.

It is who you are and it is what you do.

I thank you, my God, my Lord, my King, my Savior, and my Friend.

Jesus said that when we come to him, like we do through PRAYER, and we take his yoke by PARTENERING with him in his work here and joining in his PURPOSE here, and we learn from him by being in his PRESENCE, we can trust in the PROMISE that we will find true rest for our souls.

Jesus’ invitation into obedience every day in our everyday lives is an invitation to live in love, connection, communion, and peace. It is for our good and his glory.

In the middle of the everyday tasks of our day, God is present with us. Every day, he is here. And his invitation is, “Come.”

Do we lean in and look for God, the Creator and Sustainer, or are we too busy to stop and notice that we are always treading on holy ground because God is always with us?  He surrounds us and speaks to us in our everyday moments, inviting us to turn out hearts and minds and attention to him every day. 

So here is what I am inviting you to ponder with me this week as I consider what it looks like to be transformed by faith…

In your life, how is the way you love showing evidence of your faith?

Normally, I’m a pretty tough cookie. My faith is strong and unshakable. In fact, I think I’m actually a little better under pressure. Normally.

We serve a good, good God who is worthy of our praise. It’s our joy to worship him and lift his name high. Not only that, our adoration transforms our hearts. As we thank him, we are changed. Gratitude is stirred up in our hearts and our focus moves off of us and onto the generous and giving God we are praising.

But here’s the thing that confuses me: we think that in order to be more productive, successful, and efficient not a moment of our precious time can be squandered. Believe me, I get that. After all, time is our most valuable resource. The reality, though, is that taking time to sit with the Author, Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of all things is by far the most productive way we could spend our time.

When all we want to do is to just throw our hands up in despair or frustration… That, sweet friend, is the time to hang on to hope with every little bit of strength we can muster. That is the time to cling to the hand of the One who holds every tear and every tomorrow. That is the time to lift our eyes up and seek His loving face because we believe that He is good and He is God. That is the time to remember that the battles rage on, but the war is already won.

I wonder if the same might be true for you? Are you pioneering new spaces? Are you walking on new roads? Are you discovering a new way?

If so, do not discount the beauty of intentional time resting in God’s presence. Look for ways to return to the rest stops where refreshment and renewal are available to you in abundance?

As my heart responded in worship, my perspective shifted. I was overwhelmed with the presence of God, of His sovereignty, of His goodness, of His power, of His care, and of His big-ness. I was reminded that although my feelings of grief and sadness were real, they were in the hands of my loving Father.

The quiet creates space for me to bring my whole self, honest and open, before God.  I can pour out my heart and know He hears me, sees, me, knows me, and loves me beyond measure.  I can process out all the thoughts ping ponging in my brain.  I can share my hurts, my sadness, my joys, my excitement, my struggles, my hopes, and my fears.  As I walk, I know that each step I take, He literally there walking with me.  And in the quiet, I can hear His still, small voice and it changes me from the inside out.

Sweet friend, the truth of this is simple.  Let’s keep our eyes, minds, and hearts turned toward the Light.  Let’s fix our attention there and let God’s loving kindness draw us nearer and nearer.  Let’s bring all of who we are into the Light and let’s let the Light transform us as we grow.

I don’t want to be someone who is ruled by a to-do list or who is a slave to the calendar on their phone. I don’t want the ding of a text message or email alert to set the pace of my day, not do I want to measure a successful day by how much I got done. I want the success of my day to be measured by how well I loved God and how well I loved the people He’s placed in my path.

I’ve always been a little wild and restless. I didn’t know the unforced rhythms of grace either. But as I’ve grown up in the faith some, I realized that there are patterns I can build into my life that help me to settle into life as a beloved daughter of the King. I’ve learned there are rhythms that can help me to stay deeply connected into the family of God.

He wants me to be transformed into someone who lives and loves like Jesus just as much as I want that for myself, more, in fact. But he knows my humanity and He’s aware of my struggles. And He has a plan and a purpose for me, even if I sometimes struggle to follow it as well as I wish I did.