2020 was wild. Like, WILD. And that’s putting it mildly. The craziness of the year has taken a toll on our minds, bodies, and spirits. We hoped that 2021 would bring new life, perspective, vision, etc. In some ways, it has (Thank God!)!
But also in many ways, we haven’t fully recovered. If you find yourself in that recovery space, be of good cheer! You are not alone. Josh Kluge has written an INCREDIBLE blog talking about what we need to prioritize in 2021. Check that blog out here!
I believe the only way to recover our full selves is to anchor ourselves in Jesus. And in this day and age, it can be a fight. There’s a lot of noise, opinions, doctrines, and suggestions, but some do not align with the way of Jesus.
We must fight to stay grounded in Jesus.
Now what I have to say is not new or even exciting.
It’s actually quite simple!
But I believe these ideas and more will help us stay close and grounded in Jesus.
Quiet Time Is Good!
I come from a background that was heavy on the term “quiet time.” They emphasized it so much that I came to resent the term and started my own journey with spending time with Jesus.
Now hear me, it has been a great journey and I’m thankful for it!
Deconstructing language to find the true meaning is healthy BUT the negative energy I assigned to the term “quiet time” based on my background, was not helpful.
The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve returned to loving quiet time.
Sometimes it looks like a walk, reading the Bible, listening to a podcast, breathing prayer, listening to worship music, silence & solitude…
My point is this, it’s not about the method, it’s all about posturing our hearts, positioning our souls, and creating space to be with/know Jesus.
In this loud society, one of the simplest ways to stay grounded in Christ is to carve out quiet time.
Quiet is the opposite of loud.
Find what makes you slow down and get quiet! Get creative. Change it up. Have fun with it! See what happens!
I believe that Jesus meets us in the quiet.
Quiet time is a good thing!
May we fall in love with it!
Don’t Do It Alone
A buddy of mine used to have an Instagram series called “Never Do Saturdays Alone.”
Every Saturday, he’d get a different group of friends together, they’d hang, then he’d take a photo to commemorate the occasion. This got pretty popular. To the point that we would be waiting in anticipation of who he’d be with next! So fun!
What he didn’t realize was that he was showing us the importance of community.
Community is the backbone of living on this earth. It’s a gift God has given us and has modeled for us with the person of the Trinity.
Grabbing coffee, sharing a meal, watching a show, and taking a walk are most times better with people!
It grounds us.
It keeps us accountable!
Alone time is important and necessary, but no human should live on an island.
Same in our spiritual life.
Never do it alone!
We need community.
It’s a lot easier to fight to stay closer to Jesus with your homies than it is by yourself.
Some practical ways to do this are:
- Having a small group (a group through the church)
- Having an accountability partner
- A band of brother or sisters
- A spouse
- A mentor
These are just some areas where you could link arms with someone, and wrestle, celebrate, cry, laugh, etc with your spiritual life.
Whoever and however you decide, make it intentional and consistent. Your soul needs more than an occasional, sporadic check-in.
“True community is found in the consistent rhythm of committed relationships going deep with one another often.”
Never Do Your Spiritual Life Alone!
Find Seasoned People
After finding your community to do life and spiritual life with, I suggest finding someone seasoned in life to guide you as well.
Here’s the honest truth; if we’re only seeking counsel, hanging around, gleaning from people who are in the same stage of life as us ONLY, it easily turns into a “blind leading the blind” situation.
The facts are that I know very little about life. As do my friends! And this is not bad; it’s simply because I was born in the ’90s and not the ’70s. My homies and I have a lens through which we see the world and we need older and wiser counsel to see what’s potentially coming.
Just like we can’t do our spiritual life alone, we can’t do them only amongst ourselves. We need seasoned people to walk with us and guide us.
These seasoned people are not hard to find!
They could be your pastor, your father or mother, an older couple you look up to, etc.
They can call you out when you’re thinking and applying things wrong, humble you when your ego is growing, make you a meal (amen?!), encourage you in your life…
The benefits are endless!!!
They know more than we do.
They’ve seen it ALL.
We haven’t.
And when it comes to this day and age, to the things of God, we need seasoned people to keep up grounded and on the straight and narrow. To remind us of who God is and how we’re loved by Him. To remind us of scripture. To remind us to love ourselves and our neighbors.
Wow! I don’t know about you, that’s what I want in my life!
Find the seasoned people!
Breathe & Slow Down
That’s right.
Breathe and slow down.
Walking with Jesus is a marathon. And parts of the marathon move at a slow pace.
I mentioned this earlier in talking about quiet time, but I wanna dive a little deeper.
Society operates at 10/10.
No breaks.
No stops.
It’s actually celebrated and encouraged to be busy. And if you’re not, your responsibility and reliability are brought into question.
Now, I understand as human beings we have to do a lot of things. I get that! I constantly have things that need to get done. That will never go away! BUT a life that attends to responsibilities and is plagued by busyness aren’t synonymous.
So how do we approach taking a breath and slowing down in a fast-paced society? Why does it matter as followers of Jesus?
In 1 Kings 19:12, God speaks to Elijah through a “sound of a low whisper.” Some manuscripts say a sound or a thin silence. I love that: a thin silence.
It’s near impossible to hear and be present for a thin silence if we don’t take the time to slow ourselves, inhale, and exhale.
Taking the time to breathe leads us to slow down so that we may be available to God.
Available to hear Him.
Available to just sit in silence.
Available to see God in nature.
Available to feel His presence and love at that moment.
Practically, this is quite simple!
Schedule time throughout the day, any duration of time, to just breathe and be quiet.
It could be 2 minutes or 2 hours! There are people who go multiple days in silence (woah what?!).
Start taking time to notice when you’re in a hurry and feel overwhelmed.
That’s usually the time to slow down, breathe, pray, and listen. One time a day, or multiple times! There is no formula. The goal is just to create space to be with Jesus.
May we breathe and slow down.
Final Thoughts
Now, this won’t magically change us overnight. Actually, this could hurt for a time! The breaking of old habits and the formation of new ones is tough.
But I believe these things and MORE will help us stay grounded in Jesus Christ and the scriptures.
May we fall back in love with quiet time.
May we find people to link arms with.
May we find mentors to help guide our spiritual lives.
May we continually slow down, breathe, and make space to hear/be with Jesus in the quiet.
Grace & peace on your quest!
I’m in this with you.
The journey is long, but the reward is great.
You may also be interested in these related posts!
- Under-Prioritizing this Area of Your Life Will Destroy You in 2021
- Grow Your Worship Team with these 6 Proven Recruitment Strategies (Post-Quarantine)
- Tasha Cobbs-Leonard’s 4 Keys to Worship Leading that Don’t Require Talent [PODCAST]
- Toxic Leadership Principles You Probably Didn’t Know You’ve Learned, And How To Unlearn Them
- 4 Keys to Singing like A Pro on Sunday (A Vocal Coach’s Guide for Worship Leaders)
