Daily Delight
I am one of those people who can easily get stuck in an all or nothing mindset.When marathon training, I would beat myself up if I missed one day of running due to sickness or injury and spend hours fighting the lie that all progress made was lost.When trying to eat healthier, if I have one moment of weakness, it’s hard for me not to throw all ambition away and vow to start again soon.And this same all or nothing mentality has even somehow found its way into the way I approach spending time with God.You see, I can set out with the best intentions. I can make sweeping and sincere declarations like, “This month I will finish an inductive study of the book of 1 Samuel,” and then fall off the wagon in a fit of defeat after missing just one day.My expectations of a quiet time can be too high for a particular season or even just a particular day — and in my all of nothing thought process, I let it keep me from spending any time with God at all.As painful it is to admit, there have been seasons of my life where if I couldn’t have a perfect and Instagram-worthy quiet time with God— I just wouldn’t do it. If I didn’t have all the markers and pens, all the pretty journals and commentaries, I would think, “This won’t be good enough. Try again another day.”Man. That hurts. And man, that’s a lie.Scripture tells us that God’s word NEVER returns void and that it always does what it sets out to accomplish.This means if we get 5 hours or 5 minutes with Him — it is worth it and worth our time.This means that our expectations can bow at the very fact of just being with Him.This means we don’t always need the fancy pens and journals — but we do always need Him.Jesus wants our all or nothing mindset — but in a totally different light. He wants all of our hearts, and for us to remember — we bring nothing to the table.He does it all. And He is always the prize.
“So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” -Isaiah 55:11 (ESV)
About the Author
Diana Carter is a writer and teacher enamored by the vision of a generation of women boldly embracing their Biblical identities. She spends her weeks as a Communications Director at a large multi-site church in Charlotte, NC where she lives with her husband, Tyler.Diana founded Because I’m His, an online community committed to equipping women in their true identities, in 2016. In between all of the serious stuff, you can usually find her with Tyler: shamelessly binge-watching Bravo! or brewery hopping with friends.You can connect with Diana on Instagram here and follow along with the Because I'm His tribe here.