Tryna Get That Old Thang Back

God doesn't want us to have rigid rituals with Him. With the new covenant He is more interested in having a relationship with us. 

- Joseph Prince

I've always been amazed by one thing in my walk. I've been considering and thinking about how when I'm on fire for God, and in a routine of spending time with God, everything is peaches and cream. But man, if I miss a few days, it's kind of hard to get that old thing back! 

If I'm being completely honest, a few days can make me feel so far away that it's hard to push through and get back in the groove again. Please don't tell me I'm the only one! 

Being a mom has really caused me to struggle with the basic rhythm of life that I like to keep.

God

Marriage

Baby

While considering how and why I feel myself drifting away like a leaf being blown away with the cool autumn breeze (pretty poetic huh?) I've come up with a few reasons I believe this can happen so easily to you and me.

I LOVE the quote above. Sometimes I can be "doing" what I think I'm supposed to do, but it's all out of rituals. I wake up, read my devotional, say a little prayer, try to make it to church on Sunday, but am I doing these things to satisfy my own ritual? Or with the real intentions of keeping my relationship with God? 

This leads to my first point and solution. 

Pray without  ceasing - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

When I think about the basics of keeping a relationship going, of course communication is the key. I mean I can not imagine not speaking to my husband, or good friend daily, all through the day, and yet expect the relationship to remain in this positive place. I can see how not speaking to my husband or friend could cause distance between us, and how awkward it could be trying to get that relationship back.

So naturally the above scripture makes complete sense. I mean I'm not going to lie, when I first saw this scripture I gasped! Pray without ceasing.

Cease: Bring or come to an end

How on God's great earth could I pray without stopping? Well the same way I can text my best friend all day talking about everything under the sun.

How much more should I be eager to stay connected to God? Now does this mean getting on my knees every few minutes in the street and saying the Lord's prayer? Ha! Absolutely not. Prayer is just a conversation with God. Nothing more, nothing less. 

It should be second nature to me to constantly be thanking God for all of his blessings, small and large. I should yearn to be in constant communication with God the same way that I do with friends. Prayer is what keeps us connected, and in tune with Him. 

I can honestly say that one of the main reasons that I can feel so distant ,and far from God is simply because I am not taking the time out to communicate with him. He is waiting to connect and kick it with me, but by me allowing our conversations to become a here and there type thing, I am creating the distance. 

Can I get an amen? AMEN!

My next conviction is spending time reading, and getting to know Jesus better.

Now it can be extremely hard for a mother of an active three month old to sit down and read anything. But just because there are things that make it hard, doesn't really excuse me or you from doing it.

I mean if the whole point of Christianity is to be more like Christ, how pointless is it to not make time to read about him and his flawless ways. How can I learn to be caring, forgiving, loving, if I don't study the way Jesus did it.

Let's keep it real. I'm sure we all have people we love to read about. Fashion bloggers, rappers, youtubers, historians. Why is it so exciting? Because we are getting to know them in a more intimate way. Reading about them allows us to feel as though we know them personally. So how much more does reading the word that is alive, and life changing teach us about God?

I'm really putting myself in check here. Breaking a little sweat.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints, and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. - Hebrews 4:12

This scripture is so real to me, and an explanation to us of how not reading the word can make me/us feel far from God. The last line says "It (the word of God) judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Without God we are all vulnerable to our flesh and attitudes. Our flesh wants to do what we want to do, when we want to do it. 

Attitude: a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior

My flesh/attitude wants to wake up, check Instagram, Facebook, have a cup of coffee, play with Jax, and maybe go out for the day. The less time I spend allowing God's word to check/judge my attitude, the more my behaviors reflect the lack of consistent communication.

Mind blown.

The amazing thing about it all is God's grace is new each morning, and he is literally waiting with open arms to be in communication with me and you, and speak to us through his word. I know often times I can over complicate things. The truth is my rituals don't keep this amazing relationship in tact, and neither do yours. Honest, open, and constant communication with God, along with desiring to read more about him is what makes this relationship flourish!

Now HOW am I going to get that old thing back?

Discipline my people, discipline. I have to let the excuses go, and just get into it. Yeah I may not recieve a three page sermon the first day that I get back into my reading. I may even feel silly or awkward saying a little prayer. But genuine and real relationships aren't formed by wishing that they would happen. They are formed by taking action! So that's what I need to do! You too!

I am sharing this with you guys because I truly believe we all go through times like I am going through right now. Where the business of life can take a toll on your priorities, and making God number one in our hearts. 

I am hoping that we can take a vow today, together to make the time to have conversations with God. Not just asking for things, but thanking him for what we already have, and letting him know what's on our hearts so that we can keep an amazing relationship with him, like we do with our loved ones. 

I am also hoping that we dive into the word, and stay committed, making time to find out more about our amazing God, and allowing the word to strip away our settled way of thinking and replace it with God's concerns, priorities, and heart.

I am so grateful to be on this journey with you guys. Thanks for taking the time to read my heart. 

Until next time,

xxx Jo