I had the bestiest of best intentions when I bought the One Year Bible. I’d neglected a regular quiet time since college. The all-in-one reading plan seemed like the perfect way to dive back into daily time with God and Scripture.
I did pretty well—for a while. But little by little, I fell horribly behind. Finally, with a knot in my throat, I put the One-Year Bible on a shelf.
That One-Year Bible was just one of many “get-back-in-the-saddle” devotional moments. For almost a decade of my faith walk, it felt like I was trying to succeed more often than I actually succeeded.
I wondered what was wrong with me. Why did I get bored so easily? Why did I put off crucial time with the Lord? Where did my usual self-discipline go when it came time to crack open my Bible?
Years after shelving that One-Year Bible, I no longer feel like I’m failing at daily quiet times. Indeed, my relationship with Jesus, which once filled me with guilt, now feels awash in intimacy and dependence on the Holy Spirit.
Let me confess something. That sea change didn’t happen because I started getting more disciplined about quiet times.
What transformed my quiet times was honesty.
Only when I started becoming truthful about how my quiet times made me feel, about how much time I had to spend, and about the pain in my past did I start joyfully connecting to Jesus…
I’m over at iBeleive again this month, sharing the wonderful transforming power of deep honesty. Won’t you join me there?
Let it Rest: For SheLoves