bible

On Letting Go – Minimalism and Deepening Faith

bible, Christian lifestyle, spiritual formation

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” – Colossians 3:23

I threw a lot away yesterday. Over the last two years, I have been trying to become a minimalist for mostly the sake of my faith.

If you know me, you know I love shopping and I love aesthetically pleasing things. So this was kind of hard to reduce all I had. But over time, I honestly thought of myself to be succeeding pretty well in this area of my life, and I even felt like I had become less materialistic because of this discipline.

But a couple of days ago, I was thinking about my future and accidentally went down a spiral of thoughts, regrets, and missing my past. I thought about how much more responsibilities I kept up with. I thought about the way I cared for my body better with how often I worked out. I thought about the way I maintained a sabbath. And I thought about the work I put into pursuing my dreams no matter what judgement I received from it.

It was hard, but I did it. And for years, I have taken pride in that season of my life. And since then, every failed attempt to maintain good stewardship of my time and work has been rationalized because of how “good I was in the past“. But what I noticed this week was the way the rationalizing only eased my mind for a moment.

I said it was okay to not be as disciplined as I used to be, but within the same hour, I realized the shame and hopelessness that mindset would lead me to.

I thought, “It was good while it was, but it is what it is now.”

That was, until the light bulb lit up two nights ago.

I looked in my car, and on the rear view mirror I saw the tassel from my high school graduation next to the school parking pass from my senior year (2020-’21). And hanging next to those was an air freshener from the church I attended in college, right beside my college graduation tassel.

It was a hanging mobile of my beloved memories. Now, that may sound cute, but all it stirred up inside of me was aching pain.

An aching for the freedom I had in high school, the endless possibilities of majors I could’ve studied in college, and the joy in serving my sweet group of youth students at my old church (even they are now on their way to college).

This was all wrapped around my rear view mirror with the air freshener that recited Colossians 3:23. And that’s when I noticed the point.

God has blessed me with so many new things. Some more exciting than others. But nonetheless, new. I graduated high school over 3 years ago and college 6 months ago. But after each milestone, I placed them in front of me again by hanging their mementos on my car mirror. A place I spend far too many hours in a week.

So two nights ago, I went on Amazon. I scrolled for a while and ended up buying a hanging yarn plant.

When it arrived (praise Jesus for Amazon prime) yesterday, I took off everything on my rear view mirror and replaced it with the yarn plant. The tassels, I kept, but the other things, I tossed.

And when I got in my car this morning to go to work, for the first time in a very long time, I actually thought about the verse that used to be hanging on my air freshener.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”

I had practiced minimalism for so long. But I completely overlooked the deeper way it could be implemented into my life. For three years, I had been collecting good things that reminded me of God’s blessings, but turned it into something that stirred up anything but joy.

I wanted the past. And what that mentality does, is stiff arm God from allowing Him to show you what He has planned next.

The air freshener was given to me after a sermon about stewarding your work well, especially on the days you don’t want to. It had in big, bold letters on the back, “MONDAYS 🙂 You were made for this”. Because let’s be real, Mondays are dreadful and the joy from Sunday is tempted to be forgotten the moment your “get up for work” alarm goes off before the sun even rises.

It took me getting rid of the memento to appreciate it and actually consider how I can move on with my future while appreciating what I learned in my past.

As I write this, I find it even more interesting that those items were wrapped around my rear view mirror. A tool to help me see what is behind me so that if I need to switch lanes while moving forward, I can with peace in knowing I am clear of any obstacles. But that is just it, any time I look at what’s behind should be for the purpose of moving me more forward. Even if I have to back up a little, it is so that I can get around something and press on my journey even farther.

Those mementos are great to appreciate the past. But the purpose of minimalism in terms of growing your faith, is to get rid of the unnecessary things and keep my attention on what is needed and what brings me closer to God. Though I was maturing from my materialism problem, I had never noticed the way I held onto the past so tightly.

A simple task like relocating or getting rid of things from my past has allowed me to have a greater visual of the future and more freedom for God to use me for whatever it is He pleases.

May we not forget the purpose we have because we are so attached to the things we have known. For God’s plans and desires are beyond our imagination. We only limit ourselves to the life God made us for when we refuse to walk into the “Mondays”.

Not every season of life will be exciting. Some will feel tiresome, pointless, or painful, but God has a purpose for every minute you breathe, and you have a responsibility as one who claims to be His follower. You have the duty of good stewardship. Of giving your best, for what you have in front of you was given by the Lord, even if you cannot see how.

My dear friend, taking a step on the water is going to come with fear when you’ve only ever walked on land (credit to Chris Renzema for his sick song lyrics that say something similar). But how much longer will you live obstructing your own view of the future and what’s ahead because you can’t look past the past? God’s hand is reaching out to walk with you…will you take it even if you cannot see the next step?

Thoughts to Consider:

What are some material, or immaterial things from your past that you are enabling to block your view of the future? Bring them to the Lord in prayer.

Have you truly allowed God to use you in ANY way He desires, even if it is new or uncomfortable?

How can you work on developing the mentality and lifestyle described in Colossians 3:23?

Consider the growth you could experience and the deeper connection you could have with God if you took His hand in walking into the “Mondays” of your life, no matter what they entail.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” – Colossians 3:23

October Musings: The Quiet Selfless Life

bible, Christian lifestyle, spiritual formation

“and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you…” – 1 Thessalonians 4:11

No one has to twist my arm for me to spend time by myself. For some reason, I find some of the most fun times are when I am alone. This is not to degrade the times that I am with others – I love those moments too, but being alone is not just a liking of mine, it is often what I find myself longing for, and desperately needing after a given number of hours in the day.

A couple years ago, I learned about solitude. The kind that you dedicate to God. This honestly blew my mind because I used to feel as though there was something wrong with me for desiring alone time as much as I did. Learning about this helped me understand that there was nothing wrong with liking that time, but there was a way to glorify God during it…and a way to not. And unfortunately, I recognized how often I had spent doing the latter.

Over time, I discipline myself to being intentional about solitude with God, but it has been hard. Considering what I want to do for a living, (being a faith-based author) I struggle a lot because I prefer to stay hidden while people read my heart’s expressions through words in black and white. However, in this day and age, I am forced to utilize things like social media for the sake of actually having my thoughts cross paths with the rest of the world. As much as I have tried to balance the means to my goals and still glorify God in my quiet time, I find myself more so spending the minutes or hours decompressing alone with my mind focused on how I will recharge myself.

The thought of God and fades as my capacity reaches its maximum and that hope of any “God time” turns into “me time”. I have grown a selfish perspective of something God designed for good.

I spend hours searching for ways to become what I feel called to be, yet barely addressing the One who called me. More time alone was what I thought I needed, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The quiet life is not about being alone. It is not about doing all you do in silence. Nor is it truly about you at all…

Looking at 1 Thessalonians 4, we find our purpose. “…we instructed you how to live in order to please God…Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.” (portions of verse 1).

This verse is incredible because it reveals the absence of limits on our growth. You can read the Bible 15 times over, pray every day, and serve weekly, but there will always be more ways to please God. Now let me be clear, this pursuit is not to result in salvation, but to be a result of it. Looking at verse 3, we find out what this process is called; “sanctification”.

In layman’s terms, this means to become more like God. It is the journey all begin once they have committed to a life of dying to themselves and living for Jesus.

This is the general word people use in reference to the overall transformation of their lives for Christ, but I want to focus in on how we ought to pursue a quiet life through this process.

You may be extremely outgoing and thinking this word isn’t for you too but your personality does not change the fact that we ALL are called to live in a way that pleases the Lord, and one thing that Jesus showed us by example throughout the Gospels was that solitude matters and plays a role in shaping the rest of your life.

So, how then does one live a quiet life – without either being selfish and turning it all into “me time” or giving up their extroverted ways?

Simply put, by remembering the purpose. Your purpose.

I’ll say it again, the quiet life is not exactly about spending a certain number of hours alone. It is about what verse 11 highlights; “You should mind your own business and work with your hands…”

Living honest, honorable, and Christ-centered lives each and every day.

Maybe for the extrovert, this looks like spending time in prayer and meditation before you leave your home to protect your heart from the desire of attention or hope in finding value through others. And perhaps for the introvert, this looks like asking God to protect your heart from the selfish desires of comfort over sharing His love with others or from an egocentric way of determining what is worth your time away from home.

I say those from experience in feelings, not from criticism.

Ultimately, the quiet life is more about pursuing God in humility. It is not about volume, as God uniquely and purposely made us all different. Rather, it is to live your days proclaiming one name and loving those whom He saw worth dying for, “that none may perish.” (John 3:16)

My dear friend. I am a lover of quiet, but my flesh turns it into something that glorifies myself. I pray you recognize the value of your hidden place and time with God. For until you do, your heart will always seek to benefit itself first and foremost.

We live for the pleasure of God, not ourselves. That is what quiet looks like.

And we choose to love and stretch ourselves for the sake of those around us, not for an ego boost, more social media likes, or because it’s comfortable, but that they might see Him in us.

Thoughts to Consider:

Do you find yourself using your “God time” for your own boost in pride or most of your alone time for your fleshly indulgences?

Where can you schedule extra time out of your day to focus on your purpose and why God has placed you in the current position you are in?

What distractions or habits do you need to address in order to stay consistent in your quiet time?

Consider how much these intentional moments alone with God could reset not just your approach to your day, but to your whole life as well.

“and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you…” – 1 Thessalonians 4:11

September Musings: Heart-Centered Spiritual Disciplines

bible, Christian lifestyle, spiritual formation

The other night, I stumbled across this individual explaining their regret in waiting for marriage. It wasn’t that they did, rather, it was that they didn’t apply the waiting to anything beyond the physical obedience to God.

Over the last couple years, I have experienced times of great discipline and times of total inconsistency. Unfortunately, I just recently seem to have reached the end of this season of good discipline.

Perhaps traveling so much had a role to play, but that does not change the fact that each and every day comes to a point where I have a certain amount of time to do whatever I please. And embarrassingly, I admit, I have not always offered it to God first. Instead, as my heart could feel the conviction most nights, I would sit and pray out loud, frustrated that I couldn’t push myself to write it down or open up my devotional I spent an unruly amount of money on just a few weeks ago. And on the days that I could match my pen to my prayer journal paper, I would begin with an apology for not physically writing my prayers down for days on end.

This continued for a while. The more days I missed between the entries, the more I would beat myself up and tell myself how such a lack of inconsistency ought to reveal my inability to stay dedicated and close to God. But thank heavens I see now, that is not the right mindset.

It is not about checking off the list. I am sure you have heard that before. But now more than previously, I am noticing that it is about checking your heart and not letting the means to an end become an idol.

I am a lover of routines. If you give me a to-do list or a schedule, I will gladly follow it in order. Perhaps my obsession with an aesthetically pleasing life has an influence on my itching desire to keep everything in line. Now, I am not saying it is bad to be that way, but I am recognizing it may lead to some problems.

In February of this year, I made the decision to start writing down my prayers. I did this for multiple reasons, but one of them was for accountability. I know the kind of discipline I hold myself to when I give my word to others, so I figured if I put my prayers on paper to God, perhaps I would hold it to be as valuable as if I were to have promised a friend that I would contact them every morning. If you know me, you know my word means a lot.

And so for a while, this worked. Again, I had other reasons behind it, which is also what helped me stay dedicated to it, but nonetheless, months had passed and I just reached the start of my third journal book.

Yet after just one entry in the new notebook, two days had passed before the second, then five more before the third, until it started becoming a every-other day journal. Honestly, this aggravated me so much. But, as you read in the beginning of this blog, I struggled to bring my pen to paper. Speaking my prayers felt just as valuable…until I would catch a glimpse of the date of the most recent entry and realize I had not kept my word.

Before I could tear myself completely apart, the Lord was gracious and gave me that great word from the random video on Instagram.

No, my situation is not the same as the couple posting about their story of waiting in purity, but it was similar in the fact that my waiting, my discipline, and my focus, had been more on the check list than the spiritual reason behind the means to my goal.

I wanted to get closer to God. I wanted to be more vulnerable, more open to His Spirit’s guidance. I wanted to learn how to surrender every thing every day to God, despite the inconvenience of waking up an hour early to do so. But my mind got so caught up in the means to the end rather than the end itself. Not saying there is a limit to our growth, but there are such things as spiritual milestones that I believe are worth celebrating when reached. In fact, side note: if your goal is to simply “grow closer to God”, I would argue that you ought to clarify what that looks like in multiple ways. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up to a life of idolizing the journey over the One it’s supposed to lead you to.

I digress. The point I am getting at is that regardless of what discipline you may be holding yourself to, and I am speaking to myself here as well, the check list should go beyond the physical act of obedience. It should be checking the heart too.

There was a time that I forced myself to learn a verse in full. (You are probably thinking…”Aliyah, you don’t have verses memorized?”…No. Not really. Good memory was not one of my gifts I received from the Lord. I am a big paraphraser. One of my most common statements is, “Somewhere in the Bible it says something like…“)

So I decided to challenge myself to learn Psalm 139:23-24.

I left a Bible open on my dresser with that verse underlined for nearly two months. I read it close to daily and would begin my prayers by repeating it twice. After a while of not being able to remember it, I got frustrated and wanted to stop. But I felt guilty every time I saw my Bible open. So I continued.

Surely enough, after weeks on end, I was able to recite it by memory. This was huge. But what was more fascinating, was the way God spoke to me through that verse in a different way time after time. As I would leave a pause between each line, I learned that it wasn’t about repeating it the fastest I could, rather, it was about meditating on it and allowing God to actually use His Word to speak to me.

Yes, it took me months to get to that point with that one set of verses, but I do not believe it made me “fall behind”. For who am I chasing but Jesus? And for those who feel He is so far out at the finish line, I pray you can see His love could not bare to wait, for He already met you in your worst place. He went to the grave for you and is calling you to live in the victory He claimed over it by His resurrection.

There is an endless list of disciplines and to-do’s that one can pursue in hopes to draw closer to God. They in themselves are not bad, in fact, every Christ follower ought to be holding themselves accountable to some capacity of spiritual discipline. But that is not all there is. The beauty of the end is not when we check off the last chapters of our “reading the Bible in a year” plan or when we complete our 90 day devotional. Nor is it when we have marked every notebook known to man with our prayers.

My dear friend, the beauty of it all is the heart connection we grow with God over the entirety of our lives. So as you continue your journey of letting the Spirit transform you and renew your thoughts and desires, do not forget to discipline and prepare your heart in the waiting as well.

For one can work out their body all they want, but without proper nourishment on the inside, their growth will be stunted and their body will be just a shell of surface level strength. In that same way, as disciplined as you hold yourself to be, without giving attention to inward health and growth, your intimacy with God will be as shallow as a worker who simply does their job and goes home without building any relational depth with the one they work for. How can you properly do the Lord’s work without knowing His heart and hearing what He desires for you?

Thoughts to consider:

Do you often move on with your spiritual disciplines for the sake of consistency, even if it means giving up moments of quiet and stillness for God to speak?

How do you mentally refocus your attention on the main purpose of your journey towards Jesus when you begin feeling desensitized to the disciplines?

What can you implement into your routine to prioritize waiting and growth beyond the physical sense?

Consider how seeing the Word of God as active and illuminating every single day as He gives us new mercies and revelations could impact your journey with Jesus.

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139:23-24

August Musings – God’s Timeless Truth

bible, christian, encouragement

This is a special time of the year. August is the month I launched this blog three years ago. August 26th, 2021 to be exact.

I had been thinking of what to write for a while now. But it seems as though writers block has had a hold on me for weeks. There are currently 3 drafts that are half-written with the same title, “August Musings”, on my computer at the moment. I know, I suppose they hadn’t truly been my “musings” this month if I can’t finish a single one of them. Nonetheless, there is one common topic that I found myself mentioning…

Reminiscing.

To reminisce is to “indulge in enjoyable recollection of past events”. What I felt was not regret, but I have definitely been spending a lot of present time wishing I could relive the past. The reason being, to be completely honest, is because I feel like I was a better writer when I began this blog than the one I am now.

As I reread old posts and remember the ease I had in typing up a 1500 word piece that included Bible breakdowns, humor, and contemplative thoughts, I have been dreading posting anything lately. Especially considering the milestone of three years is a day away. I couldn’t help but feel like nothing was good enough anymore.

I sat with this burden for weeks. But how funny is God to place a word of peace on my heart the night before this anniversary.

In January, I wrote a post called “January Musings“. It was about a word of hope that I will never forget. It was truly one of the most freeing moments in my life and I am so thankful for the transformation it has brought. But as I reread it a few nights ago, I thought about the struggle I have been facing and the way I kept wishing I could go back in time and write like the old days. To be frank, I thought my heart would be justified in it’s sorrow because I thought that blog would make me recognize how far I have come in my writing skills…in a bad a way. But as I look back, thank the Lord that is not what happened.

Was I reassured of my talent? Not really. But I was enlightened!

What I saw in that blog was not skill, but a word of hope from God that had no expiration. It was a word that brought life back into my heart in the beginning of this year and was still capable of doing the same now. In this moment. This place. This agonizing stage of my writing career.

“From death to life” was the phrase I received. As someone who finds much comfort in melancholic environments and moods, this was tough to hear. Because whether or not I wanted to change, I knew that life – that which brings glory to God and love to those around me – was only possible if I stopped making my bed in the grave. It meant I needed to live out the word of a “new thing” I had felt God press on my heart.

When I say “new thing”, I do not mean a shiny, successful, easy new season I just chose waltz into. I meant a new perspective. A new outlook on what was worth dedicating my life to. No longer could I justify the days I ignored the world for my own “peace” of mind or the weeks I chose to bury myself in the habits that only cultivated despair.

Now I am not going to lie, it has been tough. Truly one of the hardest things is denying every urge in your body and mind from resorting back to the place you thought brought comfort, because more than the comfort, it brought death. Literally? Surely it could have been a possibility in the long run, but I am more so speaking about spiritual death. I knew the truth though, and when I didn’t feel like what I knew was enough, I forced myself to search deeper. And praise God, for every time I looked, I found His heart to be even greater than I could originally fathom.

But amidst the spiritual growth I had since January, was the discouragement I faced in my writing. I took a hiatus from social media at the end of 2023 and did not return until just about two months ago. I thought it would be good for this blog and my other writing projects. And it was, to an extent. But I could not help but feel like I should have done more in my time away. Since my return to social media, I have felt off. I felt like everyone expected greater things and more resources and writings offered. But instead, this blog became bi-weekly rather than the weekly one it had been a year ago. That means half as much content as before.

But as I read the post from January, I realized a beautiful thing about God.

I realized His timing is perfect.

I know I have heard that before, and honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if I wrote about it before. But I want to point out that I am not just talking about the things He brings into action. The doors He opens. The people He introduces us to. Or the miracles He does before us.

What I noticed about His timing was that He knows exactly what we need to endure and for how long we ought to live in that place before we hear a new word. He knows why the words we hear come at the “last moment” and the freedom we experience happens after a specific amount of days, weeks, or even years. His timing in our blessings is surely perfect, but so are the moments He chooses to speak a simple word to us.

This blog originally began with the intention to share “whatever God shared with me this week”. You’d think I would run out of topics, well so did I. But miraculously, God brought specific words to me at specific times. Sometimes it was at the start of the week, where I had time to chew on it for 6 days before blogging. While other times, I recall hectically scrambling to type up a post in the short hour and a half break I had between class and work because that was the moment I heard God give me a new thing.

So as I reminisce, admiring my old work, and deep down wishing I hadn’t lost that talent – I find a sense of peace. Not in the promise that I will ever write like that again, but that perhaps, the words, though received farther apart than they had been three years ago, are still life-giving. Though they seem harder to organize, they are undoubtedly glorifying the Lord. And after all, what more was this blog to be than a vessel of whatever word God desired to share in whatever way He saw best?

My dear friend, life will have it’s moments of doubt. There will be times when everything you thought was supposed to be happening, just isn’t. But that does not mean God’s faithfulness, hope, and purpose He revealed in scripture and in your past is expired. It just means that the words you have received so far are sufficient for the time you are in now. Continue hoping. And when it seems like it is not enough, continue seeking. For God promises that all who seek Him with their whole heart, will indeed find Him. If there is a chance to move your bed from the depths of the grave to the peace of His presence, why would you continue looking for any form of living among the dead?

“Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us again. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us.” – 2 Corinthians 1:9-10

July Musings: The Danger of Preferences with God

bible, Christian lifestyle, spiritual formation

“What if it doesn’t look like what I thought it would?
What if you come in ways I didn’t know you could?
Offend my mind. Reveal my heart.
I won’t worship preference anymore”
– Preference by Rachel Morley

Preference is such a interesting concept. Based on the things we experience and the unique way each one of our personalities were created, we build a “preference” about numerous things in our lives. We often say “I vote we do ____ , but that’s just what I prefer”. We make it seem like a preference is simply a harmless opinion, but what I have recently noticed, is that it actually has the ability to blind us.

I have lived in four different areas of my city, but have been taking the same road to go everywhere since I determined that was the most convenient main street near the house I lived in at 16. Nowadays, a lot more roads have been built and I live 20 minutes south of that house. Nonetheless, it wasn’t until a couple months ago that I used a road that has been here longer than the one I normally took, and from this side of town, is way more efficient. It has more turns and more side streets than the other, but it is undoubtedly the faster option to get to work, church, the mall, and truly…anywhere besides my old house haha. But until roughly 3 months ago, I never considered taking that route. I would actually re-route my GPS to take the common road I knew even if it meant a longer drive. It was…just what I preferred.

For years, I have been taking a longer path that was literally out of my way, just because it was what I knew. It was comfortable. And no matter where I was on that road, I still had control of where I would end up because there was no chance of me feeling lost. It was what I had control of. And I liked the feeling of that.

Because of my personal preference, I was blinded to the other, more efficient road. And it was not like I was unaware of its existence, because my GPS offered guidance down it time and time again. But I refused. I, like the pharisees who had a preference of what their Messiah would look like, missed out on a blessing for years because I chose to limit my perspective.

Now in the grand scheme of things, this road situation may seem like a silly example, but I did in fact waste time, money (considering the extra gas…especially in this economy), and the opportunity to see the other side of this town I have lived in nearly all my life. Slowly, but surely, what was once a good thing, became a burden because I refused to let my GPS show me a new way of doing things.

I think preferences effect more than what we choose to eat, where we drive, or how we dress. Honestly, I think they can play a large role in our relationship with God. I blogged about the blessing of a limited perspective a few weeks ago, but I feel there is a difference between a circumstance we close our mind in versus one we truly cannot change. It’s our preferences that can keep us on the fence in life because we want it our way and refuse to move until we see a path we like. But how many blessings must one miss and how much time, joy, and freedom does it have to cost them to consider they are not the Sovereign One?

I have heard people talk about the various ways God moves. I have heard about miracle stories, visions, and wisdom provided from God. But what I see is a repetition of people saying “to hear, see, or know about God, just do ____”. That blank typically ranges from reading scripture, seeking counsel, or praying more. Now don’t get me wrong, I fully believe all of those are crucial to the ones who follow Christ. But I have noticed we serve a powerful God who, often times, reaches out to us in unexpected ways while calling us down unexpected paths.

For one to confine God’s ability to communicate to us or move in our lives to a simple list of 5 or so sources, is a foolish thing to do. Though I am guilty of this.

I find it common that the way I “wait” on God after I seek Him out in prayer consists of a list of preferred interactions. And embarrassingly, they are lists of very specific ways of communicating. For example, a lot of the time I find myself praying, “God, I know a lot of faithful and respectable people around me say I should do ____, but can you make it more clear?”. Now I am not saying peace is a terrible thing to seek from God, but sometimes, as much distrust as my heart generally has towards people, God speaks through them and part of acting in faith is recognizing that I have to surrender my desire for a physical sign that tells me exactly what to do, and trust that God is capable of guiding me through His followers, though they too are broken as myself. And through an act of faith like that, it makes it more clear to see the problem is not a lack of clarity from God, but a controlling issue in my own heart – a hidden preference of mine to take God’s role in my life.

My dear friend, a preference in itself is not a sin. But just as pride can turn any good desire into a self-centered one, we must be careful about the way our preferences can mold our minds to only accept guidance we consider good enough. My GPS knew when I moved to my new house, that the better path to follow was one I did not know but would ultimately be a blessing in many ways. Though, I chose to shut it out. And unfortunately, I can’t say I have not done that same thing with God.

New paths are not always desirable at first. No one likes to feel insecure and out of control. But the beautiful thing about being in a relationship with God, is that He never leaves our side. Much like that GPS kept insisting it could walk me through that new road and still end up in a good destination. How long will you reject God’s extended love and guidance because you do not prefer the way He chose to go about it?

Thoughts to consider:

What are the most common places you look for God’s involvement in your life?

Do you spend time considering the other ways or places He may speak to or lead you by?

Are there any preferences you think may be confining God’s power to a box in your life?

Consider the awe you could grow for God by spending time in true silence during prayer, so that He has room to press anything He wants to on your heart.

“What if it doesn’t look like what I thought it would?
What if you come in ways I didn’t know you could?
Offend my mind. Reveal my heart.
I won’t worship preference anymore”
– Preference by Rachel Morley