Imagine this. From the moment I would wake up, my mind would be flooded with worries: ‘How am I going to find the time today to get through all my to-do list? What if I’m not living the life I’m supposed to be living?’ The sole thought of going about my day would feel overwhelming and exhausting, and my day had not even started yet! I knew deep inside this was no way to live, nor how I was designed to be.

Finally, I decided to make a move and carve out 15 minutes every morning to spend quality time— aka “quiet time”— with God. I guess I wanted to see what would happen if I started my day with Jesus, the Prince of Peace. So, I started doing the following:

1. Reading the Word of God. Paul says, “faith comes from hearing, and hearing, through the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). By reading the Word of God, I am able to hear God, and the ability to hear God allows me to walk in faith.

2. Genuinely praying to seek His heart, guidance, and desires for the day over mine. Jesus instructs us to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) and all of our needs will be met. Over time, I’ve learned to trust the wisdom in this.

3. Tossing my worries, sharing my desires, and sending prayers for those around me. Peter says to “cast all your cares unto Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). I will never fully understand the rationale behind this, but God wants my worries in exchange for His peace. Uhh— hello? I’ll take up on this offer any day! You can have all my worries, desires, and prayers, God!

When I wake up now, I wake up with a sigh of relief— knowing that God gave me this day to walk with Him. Yes, the flood of thoughts is still looking for ways to burst into my world, but Jesus keeps it at bay. There’s something beautiful about recognizing this day isn’t mine, and in turn, feeling less burdensome. And as I go about my day, I feel like I’m waltzing with the Spirit. With a bit of spontaneity and a bit of whimsy, the Spirit and I dance back and forth, creating space for God’s love to flow through and reach others. My feet feel lighter and my mind less self-conscious as I become more familiar with the way He moves. The joy of dancing feeds my soul and spirit, and I find myself not only ready but also excited for what God may bring tomorrow.

Yours truly,
Jae

What does it mean to “walk with God on the daily?” When I think of walking, I can’t help but think of my small hometown in Mississippi. There’s not much going on in the town, but whenever my mom wants to spend time with me, she’ll always say, “You wanna go for a walk?” There’s something about feeling the breeze and looking out onto the horizon and hearing her say, “So, how are you doing?” that gives me both perspective on my life and also makes me feel just really close with my mom. I think “walking with God” also indicates that He is the one leading both the direction of where we are going as well as the pace in which we’re getting there. And then of course, “daily”— the perhaps obvious point that this thing is happening not weekly or monthly but every day.

So, what helps me to live a life where I do that everyday? Firstly, I must say that my own failures and deficiencies have pushed me to acknowledge my absolute need to walk with God like nothing else. I have unfortunately spent seasons of my life pursuing what I thought God wanted for me– reading the bible, singing worship songs, going to church– all while grasping the reigns of control. The result? Bad fruit– confusion, anxiety, selfishness, and strained relationships to name a few. Because I now know how capable I am of getting it wrong while “doing it right” and how much living like that.. well.. sucks— it helps me to take a breath, let go of the reins, and ask God “can I walk at your pace, where you’re going?”

Secondly, God’s personality makes me want to spend time with Him. I used to think that God was really strict and kinda boring, but when I do walk with Him and ask Him, “tell me about you. What are you thinking?” He always reminds me that He is so full of joy and big crazy ideas and is serious about loving me and helping me be the kind of person that is capable of truly loving others. And that’s just downright fun and exciting and fulfilling.

And last, but certainly not least, I get really encouraged to walk with God by witnessing the lives of my intimate community. When I see the people that I live my life with going through chaos and hardships, and then I see them choose to seek God day after day anyways— I can see the goodness of God all around them, and it makes me think, “if they can do it, I can do it too.”

Mary

I find it encouraging that it is a personal relationship with God. A pursuit to know him more and better. Never arriving. Always learning and growing in our relationship.

My friend reminded me that He just tells us to remain. Like in John 15. Remain and obey him. Yes, He desires a deeper relationship. But there are some seasons of life where I might not be the crew working under the captain to keep the ship up in the storm. Rather, I am the terrified passenger on the ship. Just remain in him. Not abandoning the ship. But staying on it through the storm. Not running to other things when I feel God is quiet, but staying with him to the end. Wait on the Lord, and He will renew your strength. Isaiah 40:30-31. That’s where I find encouragement in walking with God. Literally doing life with Him. He doesn’t ask for perfection. But that we show up and keep Him in our lives.

Ezekiel