The other day a saw a picture of a friend of mine on Instagram.
It was tagged #Jesuscomesoutofherpores, and it's true. It does.
I saw that tag and my heart did a funny thing. It sort of squished up into a little ball and dropped into my stomach.
#Jesuscomesoutofherpores
I want that. So badly.
Here's the thing...I struggle. And don't get me wrong, I know for a fact that this Jesus-exuding friend of mine has worked to have the relationship with God that she does. She. has. WORKED. So I know this is not easy, but I struggle.
I say I'm going to read my bible every day....but I struggle.
I say I'm going to do a devotional...but I struggle.
I say I'm going to keep a prayer journal and pray every day...but I struggle.
But you know what? The struggle is progress.
I used to not read at all
I used to not own too many devotionals
I used to not pray unless I needed something
The struggling means I want it. The struggling means I'm not content with where I am. The struggling means I want to work.
So, rather than letting the struggle frustrate me, I'm going to allow it to motivate me.
When it feels hard, I'm going to remind myself what I'm working for.
When I'm tired, I am going to allow Jesus to meet me with the grace that he always has for me.
Thank you, Lord, for grace.
And I'm going to keep working. Not because I can earn anything on my own, but because the more time I spend with Him, the more He shines through me.
and I want Jesus pores.
Be blessed!
Heather
I totally understand you. I love this quote from James MacDonald in regards to our faith journey..."I may not be what I should be or what I could be, but thank God I'm not what I once was." (Paraphrase...even though I just heard him say it again this afternoon!)
ReplyDeleteYes! I feel like the lesson the Lord is teaching me this season is that perfection is not the testimony. Grace is. We all struggle. We are all imperfect. But grace abounds in it all. Love this, Heather!
ReplyDeleteSuch a great post. I struggle too. Every day. And sometimes the struggle makes it easy to feel like there's failure. But you're right. Struggle is progress. :)
ReplyDeleteYes Amen! I struggle too and you are so right! I need to make my struggle motivate me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this!
yes girl, yes! struggling means we're working towards it -- we're moving, we're not sitting silent or without. we're making intentional moves... albeit struggling. God is blessing you friend, in a mighty way. sharing struggles is hard but OH, you will connect. you will encourage. you will motivate.
ReplyDeleteKeep struggling. We are all in that same boat at one time or another. As long as you are moving forward, you are going the right way.
ReplyDeleteI find catching little snippets of time throughout the day to spend with the Lord works really well, especially when my kids were babies. It may be ten minutes in the morning to pray and fifteen minutes to read the Bible during naptime, whatever. As long as you spend the time you need to cultivate realtionship.
Prayers for you.
~FringeGirl
Today was the first time I've ever read your blog. This post truly warmed my heart. I too am struggling with these things. I started out this year reading everyday & having devotional time everyday, but I stopped. I'm upset with myself for stopping, but I shouldn't be so hard on myself. You're absolutely right. If we're struggling, that means we're trying. It's when I stop struggling that I need to be upset with myself. Thank you for sharing this outlook! I'm going to use it as a motivator as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Cristen!
DeleteI'm so glad that you found your way here, and I'm glad you found encouragement! I hope you'll stick around!