Everything was perfect. The band was playing. The lights were dim and filled with people worshiping. My kids were behaving. I was singing the words. It was the perfect setup to worship God.
Except I couldn’t.
It didn’t matter that I was in the perfect environment. Everything I did seemed to fall flat. I couldn’t connect with the words coming out of my own mouth.
I longed to feel something. For the words to hit their mark, not to prove myself, but to hit their mark in my soul. All I could feel was disconnect. A disconnect with God.
And if I was honest, it had been that way for a long time.
Somehow I knew i needed to fix it. I got out my familiar tools. I dusted off my Bible, got out a devotional, added it to my to do list. And staring at those tools I knew it was all wrong.
When my husband and I are not connecting well there is no book, guideline or date on the calendar that is going to fix it. I need to spend time with Him. It’s the same way with God.
The only way I could fix my disconnect with God was by being with Him.
I needed to shift my thinking from a To-Do list spirituality to a posture of connection and spending time with God. Along the way I am learning the things that help me connect with God in the middle of real life. And I want to help you connect with God, too.
I needed to shift my thinking from a To-Do list spirituality to a posture of connection and spending time with God. This free e-course helps! Share on XDWELL is a simple email course to help you connect with God right in the middle of your real life. Sign up now for immediate access!
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Wow, Rebecca. This right here –> ‘When my husband and I are not connecting well there is no book, guideline or date on the calendar that is going to fix it. I need to spend time with Him. It’s the same way with God.’
There’s no quick fix here, no magic wand, is there. It’s all about building relationship. He’s reached out to us and He hasn’t changed. We faded away from His love.
Isn’t it amazing how we can keep coming back? How nothing prevents us from connecting with Him again and again?!
Wow! You hit the nail on the head. This reminds me of a place in the bible where Jesus says, before you bring offerings to him, we should make peace with all men.
The spirit of God flows better and smoother when there’s love and joy.
Looking forward to your future posts. Thank you so much for sharing
Love and joy are always a good answer!
Gotta keep remembering that my “be list” way out weighs my “do list.”
Why is relationship such a challenging concept to keep prioritizing and embracing??
Oh, I wish I knew! I’m just grateful for the grace to keep coming back.
I love the point you make about how books won’t help you connect with your spouse :). Thank you for the reminder that we need to dwell with God in order to feel connected to him.
It was quite a revelation for me 😉
Amen Rebecca. Worship is merely a fancy word for intimacy. Unfortunately, many believers have been duped into thinking you can worship in a group. You can’t; not anymore than a couple can procreate in public. Praise, yes, worship, no. Worship is private intimate conversation between just two beings. The closest thing we have to seeing worship is the intimacy of man and woman in the bedroom. Yes, it is that intimate. When we understand the depth of intimacy in worship God longs for with us it will change our world. Now I can praise Him with many others in public, in fact I delight to do so, but I can only worship Him alone, in the privacy of the bedroom as it were. He is worthy of this worship and longs for us to bring that depth of intimacy to Him!
What a thoughtful take on worship! I think we (believers) widely discount the importance of intimacy with God. We think it’s unnecessary or unattainable (or both), but God is always ready for us to press in to Him!
That’s one of my themes in the book I am writing: that spending time in prayer and God’s Word isn’t just part of our list for the day or a religious ritual, but it’s about fostering our relationship with God. We need that reminder so often.
Looking forward to hearing more about your book!
You’re right; we need TIME with him to improve our relationship. I feel that missing gap when I get overly busy. May I never be too busy to carve time out with the Lord. Thanks, Rebecca.
Me too friend. Me too!
It’s so easy to make our spiritual lives about to-do’s: worship, read the Bible, pray. God wants people who seek Him and want to be with Him. May your course be a big blessing to many!
Thank you Betsy!
Yes, time with the Lord always brings clarity to the situation. Oh, how we need Him! Thanks for agreat reminder. We need to draw near and abide!
Drawing closer to Him changes everything!
A spiritual to-do list….so rarely is it the answer!! I like your idea of “a posture of connection!” Enjoyed your post – have a great week!
It is a relationship for sure, and connection is so important.
I have been there. Glad you are addressing this common issue. laurensparks.net
Thanks!
Rebecca,
“A posture of connection” – love this! You’re right, we can’t muster up a connection by checking off a “to-do” list. One of my favorite words is “abide”. When I feel that disconnect, and I do, I need to abide in Christ…dwell in His presence…ask Him to remove whatever is separating my heart from His. Less of me, more of Him….it usually works best this way. Lovely post!
Blessings,
Bev xx
I love the word ABIDE. God has used it so powerfully in my life!
I think we all have those times when we feel disconnected, and I agree, there’s no quick fix. Time is what we need.
Time is a true gift. In all things.
Great post Rebecca! We do need to stop & spend time with Him otherwise the gap gets further & further as each day passes.
I love the photos in this post, they’re a great visual reminder to your message. 😀
Blessings,
Jennifer
Thanks so much friend!
I have been there more times than I care to admit:) Even in the midst of Christian ministry I have found myself doing so much for the Lord, I wasn’t spending time with Him, and my fellowship with Him suffered as a result. Great reminder.
It’s so easy to end up there. I’m so grateful when God reminds us to come to Him.
Love this line, Rebecca: “I needed to shift my thinking from a To-Do list spirituality to a posture of connection and spending time with God.” It can be difficult to find the balance of making our relationship with God a priority while not making it just another box on the to-do list. Great post.
Thanks, friend! It’s amazing how much we benefit from authentically connecting with God!
I can definitely relate to this. I have been struggling with church ministry burnout for over a year—and thankfully I have been on sabbatical about a year now. It is taking a long time to fully recover from its effects including how it has affected my connection to God. Disconnect is something I’m definitely feeling, and so longing for that to change. Thank you for this reminder that it’s not about a list of tasks to do with God, but simply spending time with Him that will help when we feel disconnected!
Oh, sweet friend. You are not the only one. I’ve been here so many times. So grateful for God’s grace over each of us as we press in to His presence!