Spiritual Disciplines Archives - Sharla Fritz
June 15, 2023

4 Questions to Make the Most of Your Summer

I want to help you make the most of your summer by giving you four questions that can guide your decisions.

I love summer. I look forward to being able to go outside without first bundling up in boots, coats, hats, and gloves. I love the more relaxed teaching schedule that gives me more time to read. I indulge in picnics and outdoor concerts.

But the summer often goes by way too fast! Too often, I’ve let the season fly by without doing the activities I enjoy. I’ve come to the first of September carrying regret that I didn’t make the most of the days of sunshine and warm weather.

You, too? We can all get caught up in our daily routines and miss opportunities to revel in summer activities.

So to help you, I’ve come up with four questions to ask yourself in order to make the most of your summer.

Question 1: What feels like rest to you?

This question may surprise you, but hear me out. In those summers when I’ve not taken advantage of what the season has to offer, I’ve arrived at fall just as burnt out and exhausted as I felt in May. I want my summer to renew and recharge my weary soul, but I’ve found it doesn’t happen automatically. If I don’t incorporate restful activities into days, my heart will begin to unravel and my soul will wear thin.

I’ll share a short list of what feels like rest to my soul:

  • time to read
  • walking in nature
  • talking and laughing with friends
  • dinner out with my husband
  • time in God’s Word

Now it’s your turn. Make a list of what feels like rest to you. What energizes you? What renews you?

Question 2: What matters most to you this summer?

Think about what you most want to do in the next few months. What sounds especially fun to you? Which activities make your heart sing? What will you regret if fall comes and you haven’t done this important thing?

It might help to think about this question in categories. Think about:

  • Time to have fun
  • Time to get away
  • Time to relax
  • Time with family and friends
  • Time with God

As an example, I’ll list a few things that matter most to me this summer. I love going to Ravinia in the summer to hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra play, so this is what matters most in the category of fun. I’m going to get away by going to a large convention in Milwaukee where I’ll meet up with fellow authors and sisters in Christ. I will relax with my favorite hobby of reading (my to-be-read stack is beckoning!). I’ll take advantage of my more relaxed teaching schedule and meet up with friends for coffee or lunch. And my time with God will come in extended quiet times and personal spiritual retreats.

I encourage you to make a list of all the things you’d like to do this summer. Circle the three activities that matter most. Then, put a star by the one that is the number one priority!

Question 3: How will you ensure that your summer includes what matters most?

Hopefully, making that list of what matters most will help you to engage in those activities, but we’re human. We get distracted. The dailyness of life sometimes shoves out the important.

But there are ways to help us live intentionally.

We can make a summer bucket list of all the things we wish to do, listing them in order of importance. I’ve done this in the past and it has helped me come to the end of summer saying, ‘”That was fun!”

We can schedule the activities most important to us. I’ve already looked up the Ravinia schedule and written on the calendar the concerts I most want to attend. We can block out certain days for meeting with friends. Or send a text right now to a friend we haven’t seen in a while and say, “It’s been too long! Let’s get something on the calendar.”

In order to do what matters most, we may also need to eliminate activities that don’t fill us with joy or renew our souls. Maybe you say no to the neighborhood block party in order to go to that concert that stirs your heart. Perhaps you make meals at home simpler, so you have time to walk in the evening.

Question 4: How will you connect with God, the Giver of soul rest?

We not only want our summers to include all the fun, but we also want to arrive at September with renewed spirits. Our refreshed hearts will help us accomplish the tasks God has for us when the fall schedules begin again.

So we need to connect with God who promises to give us the rest we need.

In Jeremiah 31:25, God promises:

 For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.

Is your soul weary?

Is your soul languishing?

The good news is that God is able to satisfy your soul and replenish the emptiness in your heart.

One easy way to connect with the Giver of soul rest is through a practice called Centering Prayer.

For this practice, simply find a comfortable and quiet place to sit. Set a time for 5 – 10 minutes. Then close your eyes and quiet your mind, as you focus on God’s love for you.

Because my mind is prone to wandering, I find it helpful to meditate on a passage of Scripture. I like to use the Word-by-Word method of Meditation where I focus on a verse and repeat it, each time emphasizing a different word and considering how stressing that word gives me a new perspective.

For instance, if I meditate on Jeremiah 31:25 and I emphasize the word I, I remember that it is God who is talking in the verse. God is the One who can satisfy and replenish my soul. I might try a lot of other things like a luxury vacation or even those outdoor concerts that I love so much. But they can only offer temporary relief. Only God can truly renew my soul.

Then, I can move on to the next word, will. God says, “I will satisfy…” He doesn’t say, “I might satisfy” or “I could satisfy (if I wanted to).” He promises that if we come to Him, He will satisfy our souls.

The next word, satisfy, reminds me that God is the giver of contentment. He sees all my yearnings. He knows what truly fills me up and makes me whole. When I think about that truth, I can better trust God to handle all my cravings.

This summer, consider adding 5-10 minutes of time to connect with God every day. You might make this a part of your morning devotions or schedule it as part of your lunch break. It could be a wonderful way to end your day.

Use these four questions to make the most of your summer! Enjoy the season and let God renew and refresh your soul!

Discover Soul Rest

And if you want more information about soul rest, consider my video course Discover Soul Rest. This video course has already helped people escape the hurry and hustle of daily life and find the soul rest they crave.

This course will help you:

  • learn God’s life rhythm of rest
  • defeat the enemies of rest
  • find an antidote to anxiety
  • explore the practice of letting go
  • use God’s Word as a tool for soul rest
  • learn soul-rest practices that will lead you into God’s presence where you can receive soul rest

In the Discover Soul Rest course you will get:

  • 5 Units–each focusing on a biblical word for rest from the original Hebrew and Greek
  • 10 teaching videos–each 10-12 minutes long
  • 10 downloadable worksheets–with key takeaways and Bible study practices
  • 25+ soul-rest practices–all based on God’s Word

Once you purchase the course you will have access to all the videos and worksheets. You can complete the course at your own pace and come back to review the materials again and again.

Click below to find out about this course.

Tell Me More About the Discover Soul Rest Course!
Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Growth
February 7, 2023

Discover Soul Rest with a New Course

What do you do when you feel exhausted and empty? Spent and Stressed? Out-of-sorts and out-of-gas?

You might look for relief in a good night’s sleep or an extended vacation.

But sometimes physical rest or a weekend away doesn’t provide the relief we crave. What we really need is soul rest.

We need soul rest because the world moves at a hurried, harried pace.

We need it because Satan continually plants seeds of doubt and distraction that erode our peace.

We need it because our culture worships productivity and idolizes busyness.

My Journey to Soul Rest

For years I lived a hurried, harried life. Not only did I schedule nearly every minute of the day, but I worked like my life depended on it–even when it didn’t. I strove and struggled for peace–which I thought would come when I had accomplished all my goals or when I had done “enough”.

But I discovered that God does not intend us to live that way.

I discovered that the Father offers me soul rest–the kind of rest that is more than a good night’s sleep or even an extended vacation. In Him, I found a rest characterized by a deep peace and a sense of wholeness. Even more surprising, I learned that I didn’t need to earn this rest. God graciously offers this kind of rest and His Word showed me how to receive it.

Now my life may still have hectic days and weeks, sometimes I still cram too much into my schedule. But I’ve learned to lean on God instead of myself. I’ve adopted God’s life-giving rhythms that revive my weary soul.

Discover Soul Rest Course

In my new Discover Soul Rest digital course, I share what I’ve learned so that you can find soul rest, too. In this course, you will study five biblical words for rest from the original Greek and Hebrew. Examining these words will help you understand God’s definition of rest and how He generously offers it to you. You will also learn soul-rest practices that will keep your heart attuned to God’s rhythm for life.

Here’s a two-minute sneak peek of the course.

This course will help you:

  • learn God’s life rhythm of rest
  • defeat the enemies of rest
  • find an antidote to anxiety
  • explore the practice of letting go
  • use God’s Word as a tool for soul rest
  • learn soul-rest practices that will lead you into God’s presence where you can receive soul rest

In the Discover Soul Rest course you will get:

  • 5 Units–each focusing on a biblical word for rest from the original Hebrew and Greek
  • 10 teaching videos–each 10-12 minutes long
  • 10 downloadable worksheets–with key takeaways and Bible study practices
  • 25+ soul-rest practices–all based on God’s Word

Once you purchase the course you will have access to all the videos and worksheets. You can complete the course at your own pace and come back to review the materials again and again.

If you would like to slow down and learn the rhythms of rest, I hope you will consider taking this course. 

Fight Against Hurry and Find Soul Rest

My prayer is that participants in this course will have the tools to fight against the world’s demand for productivity and Satan’s weapons of comparison and hurry. I pray they will learn to carve out time to pull away from the world and sit in God’s presence long enough for Him to give them rest.

To find out more and to purchase the course, click the button below.

Tell Me More About Discover Soul Rest
Filed Under: Bible Study, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Growth
October 25, 2022

What to Pray When You Don’t Know What to Pray

Sometimes I struggle with prayer. How to pray. What words to say. When to find time to pray. What do I pray when I don’t know what to pray?

Recently I discovered a short prayer that has been used for centuries. This short prayer is derived from the words of Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:47 and the tax collector in Jesus’ parable in Luke 18:13. The prayer is simply,

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of David, have mercy on me, a sinner.

This short prayer expresses the heartfelt need of God’s grace. It voices the confidence that Jesus, the Son of David and Son of God, can pour out His mercy upon us. It is a prayer to be prayed in times of great need and in small ordinary moments of the day.

I read about this prayer in several books about Christian spirituality. A couple of friends told me how praying this prayer throughout the day kept their thoughts centered on God. But I bristled against this prayer at first. Reminding myself that I am a sinner didn’t seem particularly comforting. But in breathing out this prayer I remember I can do nothing without God’s grace. Offering this petition opens my heart to receive the mercy and love I so desperately need every minute of every day. Author John Kleinig’s words in his book Grace Upon Grace makes this clear:

In our spiritual life we are much like helpless babies…Apart from Jesus, we can accomplish nothing spiritually…However, unlike babies, we do not outgrow our helplessness before God…If there is one thing we discover as we grow older and gain in experience, it is that before God we are nothing but beggars…we can only cry out to Jesus, as beggars did in the ancient world: “Lord, have mercy!” (p, 182-183)

The more I use this prayer, the more my spirit soars to the love of Christ. The more I repeat these words, the more I realize how vast God’s mercy truly is. The more I plead, “Have mercy on me” the more I realize there is nothing I can do to earn the Father’s mercy. It is all a gift. I can stop striving to get it. He longs to give it to me. I only need to open my hands to receive.

Just as we can do nothing physically without breathing, we can do nothing spiritually without Jesus. Breathe in your Savior’s name and breathe out a desperate prayer for grace. Receive what you need in the moment.

Next step: Try praying this simple prayer throughout the day. Receive God’s love and mercy. He longs to give it to you.

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: ,
October 18, 2022

4 Reasons To Care For Your Soul

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How did you take care of yourself today? Did you care for your body? Did you care for your soul?

How did you care for your body? Did you eat yogurt and fruit for breakfast for the probiotics and antioxidants? Did you run a couple of miles to keep your heart in shape? Did you get seven or more hours of sleep? Maybe you did all of those things (or something like them) to take care of your body.

But how did you care for your soul? Maybe you didn’t even think about that part of you. After all, our stomachs growl when they’re hungry, our eyelids droop when we’re tired, our muscles get stiff if we sit too long. Our bodies demand attention.

But the soul? The soul keeps quiet. It doesn’t scream in pain or announce a problem with a 102 degree fever. We may neglect the soul for a long time before it demands attention.

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So why should you care for your soul?

I can think of four reasons:

  1. Your soul is the most important part of you. John Ortberg, author of Soul Keeping, writes, “The soul is the coolest, eeriest, most mysterious, evocative, sacred, eternal, life-directing, fragile, indestructible, controversial, expensive dimension of your existence.” Jesus pointed out to His disciples that the soul is important when He said, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Nothing in the world is more important than my soul. Yet how often I neglect this crucial part of me.
  2. Your soul is the part of you that is eternal. A good haircut lasts about a month. A fashionable new outfit stays stylish for about a year. But your soul lasts forever. God created this part of you to be with Him now and in heaven. Caring for the soul will reap eternal benefits.
  3. The state of your soul affects the rest of your life. My soul may not announce it needs care, but when it’s tired I feel pulled apart inside. I may be able to paste a smile on my face, but inside I’m dying. I may be able to carry on a conversation, but I’m not really listening. I may go to church and mumble through the songs, but my heart is far from worship. Life loses joy and meaning when my soul is worn. I’m not able to live life well.
  4. A healthy soul will enable you to love and serve the people in your life. When our souls are weak, we crave attention. We may become self-centered, even self-obsessed. But when we spend time with the Savior and allow Him to fill our souls with His love, we are then able to look beyond our own needs and care for others.

Don’t neglect your soul. Care for it by spending time with the One who loves you. Sit in silence. Read God’s Word. Listen for His voice. Ask Him to care for the most important, most fragile, most indestructible part of you.

Next step: Read Psalm 23. Let the words sink into your heart. As you read and pray, visualize the green pastures and the Shepherd who promises to restore your soul.

 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3     He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever

original photo source

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For more information on caring for your soul, check out my new book Soul Spa: 40 Days of Spiritual Renewal. This Bible study devotional teaches you how to find rest for your weary spirit. Come to the Soul Spa where spiritual practices refresh you, where God is eager to meet with you and care for your spirit. Using spa analogies, this resource guides the reader to engage in the holy habits such as Bible study, Scripture meditation, sacred reading, prayer, and more! Check it out here.

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: ,
October 11, 2022

7 Habits That Promote Soul Rest: Perpetual Prayer

each whispered wordof petitionor thanksgivingconnects us tothe Giver of soul rest1

This post is part 4 in my series on 7 Habits that Promote Soul Rest. Click to read Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3.

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

The first time I read Paul’s command in 1 Thessalonians I was incredulous.

I mean, how could you possible pray all the time? Life demands things like paying attention in a class or writing a detailed report for work. If you have little ones running around you need to make sure that they don’t empty the garbage can all over the floor or feed the dog chocolate. How can you be on your knees and still do the everyday stuff of life?

Paul’s words not only inspired skepticism. It also produced…guilt. Just reading the command made me all too aware of my mediocre prayer life–often lacking in frequency and length. (Which is another way of saying, I’m lucky if I get in five minutes of concentrated prayer daily.)

But I know prayer brings rest for my soul and peace for my spirit. In another one of Paul’s letters he wrote:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

So how can we learn to pray without ceasing and find soul rest?

I realized that when Paul wrote that command in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 he didn’t mean I had to stay on my knees with my eyes closed and my hands folded all day. Praying without ceasing becomes possible when I pray short prayers throughout the day. 

Here are three ways I use short prayers to connect with God:

7 HABITS #3

Turn every worry into a prayer. One day I decided to take these words of Paul literally. I realized that when I’m worried about something, I don’t think about it once in the morning and once again at night. It is on my mind constantly. The concern pops into my brain while I’m driving my car or having a conversation with a friend. So what if I turned every one of my worrisome thoughts into a prayer? 

I would be praying without ceasing.

Pray short prayers of thanks. My worries became the catalyst for my first experience with short prayers. But soon I began to add short prayers of thanksgiving to my repertoire of short prayers. When I saw a beautiful sunset, tasted an exquisite strawberry, or heard the sweet song of a bird, I whispered a quick prayer of gratitude to my awesome Creator. When I found my lost keys or got a string of green lights on my way to an appointment, I said, “Thank You, God.”

Use Scripture prayers. Recently I’ve begun another way to use short prayers throughout the day. I choose a short prayer from Scripture that I whisper back to God whenever the Holy Spirit prompts me. The first prayer I used like this is called the Jesus prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.” At first, I felt uncomfortable with this prayer. I didn’t like reminding myself that I am a sinner, but every time I spoke this petition, I felt peace. I knew God answered my prayer with His grace. I felt soul rest because that prayer reminded me how much I need my Father and how little my own efforts mattered in the grand scheme of eternity.

Here are a few more short prayers from Scripture that you can use:

Not my will, but Yours be done. Luke 22:42

Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on You. 2 Chronicles 14:11

Show the wonder of Your great love. Psalm 17:7

We find soul rest in perpetual prayer because each whispered word of petition or thanksgiving connects us to Jesus–the Giver of rest, peace, and soul stillness.

Each whispered word of petition or thanksgiving connects us to Jesus--the Giver of soul stillness. Share on X

Next step: Choose a short Scripture to pray throughout the day. Click to get a free resource of 15 more short Scripture prayers. Write the prayer on a card to carry with you. As you pray this prayer in small moments of your busy day, it will become a habit. And this habit will draw you closer to God–the Provider of soul rest.

And if you’d like to learn more about soul rest, check out my video course, Discover Soul Rest. Through 10 video lessons, 10 interactive worksheets, and 25+ soul rest practices, you’ll learn about God’s definition of rest and how you can find this kind of peace an wholeness for your own life. Click the link below and scroll through the page to learn about this helpful course.

Find Out More About Discover Soul Rest
Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: ,
October 5, 2022

Spiritual Disciplines Aren’t Just For Super-Christians

Not long ago I met with a group of women hungry for God’s transforming power. We met often one summer, exploring spiritual disciplines–spiritual practices that have been used by devout Christians for centuries. Reading about these exercises and practicing them with this small group helped me to grow deeper in my relationship with God. I learned to slow down my frenetic pace of life long enough to listen to what God wanted to say to me. The group helped me discover fresh ways to pray. I began to see God’s hand at work in my ordinary days. And I wondered: Why had it had taken me so long to discover these spiritual disciplines?

My False Conception of Spiritual Disciplines

One day shortly after I finished that study, I was searching for a book for a writing project. As I scanned my bookshelves, I was surprised to find two books about spiritual disciplines! I pulled them out and leafed through them. I had evidently read them because many passages were underlined. Why had these books not had the same impact on my relationship with God as my summer experience with spiritual disciplines?

As I reread the underlined passages, I saw the difference. When I had read the other books  years earlier, I somehow got the idea that spiritual disciplines were something I did to become more spiritual. At that point in my life I looked at the disciplines as a formula for becoming a better Christian. Take a little meditation, add a little worship, and mix in some solitude and I would be more acceptable to God.

The Real Purpose of Spiritual Disciplines

It’s easy to see how I could come up with that idea. Spiritual disciplines sound like self-discipline mixed with some very devout and religious work. But we do not practice the spiritual disciplines to look more spiritual. These exercises are not designed to make you more disciplined. The reason my most recent experience with spiritual disciplines was different was that the purpose behind them was not to make me a super Christian, but to foster intimacy with God.

Adele Calhoun writes in her Spiritual Disciplines Handbook:

Disciplines are intentional ways we open space in our lives for the worship of God. They are not harsh, but grace-filled ways of responding to the presence of Christ with our bodies.

So don’t think of spiritual disciplines as something you have to work hard at. Or something that depends on you.

The purpose of the spiritual disciplines is not to produce super-Christians, but to foster intimacy with God. Share on X

Some Spiritual Disciplines to Try

Here are some of my favorite Spiritual Disciplines with links to more information for each one:

Meditating on Bible Stories. I love this method of putting myself in a scene in Scripture. I often use this with stories in the Gospels. To meditate on a Bible story: Read the text. Close your eyes and use your five senses to imagine yourself in the story. Picture yourself as one of the characters of the story. Apply the story to your life in the present. 

Examen. I often use this practice right before I go to sleep. To practice the Spiritual Discipline of Examen, start by finding a quiet place and asking the Spirit to guide your time of reflection. Close your eyes and review the last 24 hours. Ask yourself questions like: What inspired gratitude today? What happened that was painful, sad, or disappointing? What moment do I now regret and need to confess? When did I sense God’s nearness?

SACRED Reading. This method of meditating on Scripture helps me savor God’s Word. A combination of reading the Bible and prayer, SACRED Reading helps me hear God’s voice. Click on the link for the specific steps to this practice.

Palms Up, Palms Down Prayer. This is a wonderful way to start your quiet time with the Lord. I begin by sitting in a comfortable chair and placing my palms down on my legs to symbolize my desire to release my concerns to God. I ask the Holy Spirit to show me what I need to let go. Is there anything blocking my relationship with Christ? What anxieties have I unconsciously been hanging onto? After I have released my worries, confessed my sins, and unloaded my self-sufficiency, I turn my palms up to symbolize my desire to receive from God.

Prayer Walking. If you find it difficult to sit still, you might like this more active Spiritual Discipline. I use it when I feel my prayer life needs a jump-start or when I need a fresh perspective. I go prayer walking when I sense God is calling me to pray for my neighborhood or I need a dose of nature. Click the link for 5 ways to practice prayer walking.

Spiritual Disciplines Are Like a Spa for Your Soul

Picture each spiritual discipline as a room in a spa where you can go to meet God. In this room He will accept you with open arms and lavish you with love. He will transform you. He will take your weary and tired soul and, in His presence, give it new life.

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If you would like more information about Spiritual Disciplines, check out my Bible study book: Soul Spa: 40 Days of Spiritual Renewal. It is a great way to find rest for your souls. This book can be used for personal or group study. More information here and here.

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With:
June 23, 2022

How to Find Soul Rest in Five Minutes

Do you struggle to find soul rest? I know I do.

Maybe it’s because you find yourself in one of these scenarios!

You drive past a neighbor’s perfectly manicured lawn and groan as you remember your own knee-length grass and unruly hydrangea bushes. Or you see your friend joyfully announce her promotion on Instagram and can’t help but think of your own seemingly dead-end job. You find yourself comparing.

You push yourself harder, yet seem to make little progress. Even with please-the-boss-at-all-costs hours at the job, push-it-to-the-limit workouts at the gym, and can’t-let-anything-slide task lists at home, you feel like you keep falling behind. You find yourself striving.

Toys litter every square foot of the family room. Two of your kids need help with their homework. The spaghetti sauce boils over on the stove. Your husband texts that he’s stuck in traffic. You find yourself stressing out.

Your boss points out a serious flaw on the report you turned in yesterday. The cookies you bake to impress the bake sale coordinators look like black clods of dirt on the baking sheet. You don’t achieve that bigger profit margin you anticipated this month. Impatient words fly out of your mouth in the direction of your children—again. You find yourself feeling like a failure. 

Life is hectic. Unpredictable. Draining. Sometimes even soul-crushing. How can we find soul rest in the middle of our messy lives?

Maybe what we all need is a little more grace—in five-minute portions.

Grace in Bite-Size Portions

As a Bible teacher, I encourage everyone to have time with God in His Word every day. We always benefit from hiding God’s Word in our hearts, and spending time in prayer. But we all go through seasons where we can’t spend the time we want to in the spiritual disciplines.

Perhaps you love spending time in God’s Word, participating in a small group Bible study, and writing in a prayer journal. But right now you barely have time to comb your hair in the morning and grab a piece of toast on your way out the door. Taking care of your soul feels like one more thing you’re failing at.

Or maybe your life does allow you to have a devotional time each day, yet right now it simply seems like another item on your to-do list instead of a life-giving practice. Even though you open your Bible in the morning, you still find yourself drenched in stress during the day.

When we find ourselves overwhelmed with stress and striving, perhaps we can find grace in bite-size chunks.

That’s why I wrote a little ebook that offers five-minute soul rest practices for when you find yourself comparing, striving, stressing out, or generally feeling like a failure. Think of these suggestions as small ways to reconnect with the God who created you, gifted you, and longs to renew your soul.

Here’s a sample of what you will find:

for when you find yourself comparing…

Meditate on Galatians 6:4. Slowly read, “But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.” God encourages us to look at our own work and not compare it to others. Spend five minutes writing down the big and small ways you have obeyed God’s call on your life in the last week in your job and in your home.

for when you find yourself striving…

Let go as you empty out your purse (or wallet). Read Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” As you unpack all the things you’ve been physically carrying around, think about what less tangible items have been weighing down your soul. Give each worry and concern to God. Trust Him to take care of them.

for when you find yourself stressing out…

Slow down. Proverbs 19:2 warns against the danger of hurry, “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” When we feel stressed, we often operate at the fastest speed possible in order to get everything done. But that can lead to more tension, anxiety, and even mistakes. So for your next task, slow down and for the next few minutes practice being present. If you’re at work, truly pay attention to the person you’re talking with. If you’re chopping vegetables for dinner, notice the colors and textures God created. If you’re folding laundry, thank the Father for providing clothes and the person who wears each item. Staying in the moment can change your perspective and lower your stress.

for when you find yourself feeling like a failure…

Meditate on God’s definition of success. Success in our world looks like big and important. So when we feel small and insignificant, we may feel like a failure. Matthew 20:26-27 says, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.” Success in God’s kingdom looks like humility and service.

I encourage you to read through the menu of ideas and mark the ones that sound intriguing. Experiment with one or two each day. Use the practices to allow God to recalibrate your spirit. Find a little more grace—in five-minute portions.

Click the button below to get the FREE ebook and find soul-rest in five-minute portions.

Get 21 Five-Minute Soul-Rest Practices!
Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With:
March 29, 2022

A Clean Heart: 5 Scriptures of Confession for Lent

Lent is a time of confession and forgiveness. Here you’ll find 5 Scripture passages that will guide your time of confession and remind you of God’s unlimited grace.

Whenever I go out to work in my garden in the summer, I come back feeling grubby, grimy, and grungy. My skin feels sticky with the sunscreen I put on before I ventured out. I’m smelly from the necessary insect spray. Sweat has trickled down my back. I’ve got soil under my fingernails, mud in my socks, and, more than likely, a little dirt on my nose from when I tried to bat away a bug. When I come back into the house, I can hardly wait to get into the shower to wash away all the muck so I can once again feel clean. 

When I come into God’s holy presence, I become aware of the mud and grime in my heart. I feel the dirt of an impatient retort to my husband. I sense the stain of neglecting a hurting friend because of my busy schedule. I see the soil of a little white lie I told to get out of a volunteer position I didn’t want. The filth accumulates day after day. How do I get clean?

In one of his most quoted psalms, King David also expressed his awareness of a dirty heart. He cried out to God, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 ESV). He knew that only God could wash away the stain of sin. And he took the first step in the cleansing process by confessing his transgressions and admitting his misdeeds.

Just like a warm, soapy shower cleanses my body and leaves me feeling refreshed, going to God for a thorough cleansing of my soul leaves me spotless and renewed, clothed in Christ’s righteousness.

During the season of Lent, we can use this traditional time of reflection and contrition to examine our hearts and come to the One who can make them pure again. One way we can approach confession is to use the prayers, commands, and promises of the Bible to guide our confession time. As we meditate on these Scriptures and ask ourselves some probing questions, we may notice dirt hiding in the corners of our hearts. When we come contritely into God’s presence, the Holy Spirit can wash away every trace of grime because of Jesus’ cleansing blood. 

Here are five Scriptures that help us humbly approach God. Set aside time to prayerfully read these passages. Ask the Holy Spirit to point out any obvious grime you might want to overlook. Use the reflection questions to guide your time. Rejoice in the promise that, because of Jesus, God washes the mud from your hearts so you can stand before Him clean and refreshed.

1. Psalm 51

King David wrote this psalm after he made the biggest mistakes of his life. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband to be killed in battle after discovering that Bathsheba was pregnant (2 Samuel 11). At first, David ignored his sins, but God sent the prophet Nathan to point out the transgressions so that David could confess (2 Samuel 12). 

You might think that sins like these could never be forgiven, that a heart like that could never be cleansed. Yet David knew God as a God of mercy, so he began his prayer with:

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!

 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment. (Psalm 51:1-4 ESV)

David didn’t gloss over his sin or make excuses. He knew he could only come before God for cleansing because of God’s steadfast love and abundant mercy. He knew that God’s miraculous cleansing power could once again make him whiter than snow (v. 7). No matter how dirty our hearts are, God can once again make them clean.

Read the rest of the article at iBelieve.com.

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines
March 23, 2021

The Spiritual Discipline of Detachment

We all grow attached to beloved items, habitual routines, or jobs and positions that seem to give life meaning. But the following story may illustrate how our attachments are mere illusions and how the spiritual discipline of detachment can help us grow closer to our loving Father.

A Particular Attachment

As a kid, my family often hit the road on long car trips. One summer, my father, mother, my younger siblings, and I all piled into our car and headed to South Dakota. Once there, we visited all the usual tourist spots like the Corn Palace and Mount Rushmore.

My father, the history buff, also pulled over to see the South Dakota State Capitol Building. After a detailed tour, we got back on the road, headed to our hotel for the night. About 150 miles later, we parked the car and dragged the suitcases into our room–and discovered something very important had been left behind at the capitol building–my little sister’s favorite blanket.

Never mind that this old blanket had more holes than fabric–it was very valuable to my three-year-old sister. She insisted on having it every night at bedtime. My brother felt so bad for her that he bought her a new blanket at a nearby drugstore, but of course, it wasn’t the same. Somehow my sister survived and we made it through the rest of the trip.

Once back home, my mother wrote to the State Capitol and told them the sad tale of the lost blanket. “It doesn’t look like much,” she wrote, “but it’s very important to one little girl. If you find it, please mail it to the address below.”

About a week later, I went out to get the mail, little sis tagging along. Inside the mailbox I found a big manila envelope with a South Dakota postmark. I immediately ripped it open, pulled out the tattered, but beloved blanket, and showed it to my little sister.

She was ecstatic to have her blanket back–but also rather angry. In her three-year-old thinking, she suspected that we had hidden the blanket in the mailbox all that time!

Attachments

We all grow attached to favorite things. Perhaps we outgrow attachments to favorite blankets and stuffed toys but develop new, more serious attachments that threaten our spiritual health. We grip onto material things like houses. and grasp tightly onto harmful habits. We think we can’t live without the prestigious position we’ve sacrificed so much to attain.

What are some of your attachments? Some of my own attachments have come in the form of important relationships or the need to feel I’m doing something significant. For instance, I really struggled when my kids grew up and moved away. And I’ve pursued jobs and positions I thought would give me the respect that would fuel my need for importance.

Spiritual Discipline of Detachment

That’s where the spiritual discipline of detachment comes in.

Adele Calhoun, in her useful book Spiritual Discipline Handbook: Practices that Transform Us writes:

Jesus was detached from making a name for himself that brought human applause. He embraced his humanness and staked his ministry on being God’s beloved Son whether or not any one responded….Jesus let go; he detached.

Jesus knew that attachments to anything this world has to offer only get in the way of the beautiful peace and joy that life with God the Father gives.

Calhoun also writes, “We often refuse relinquishment and remain blind to our attachments.” So true. Life in this world often presents me with blinders to God’s way. I grasp onto material things I think I need for happiness. I firmly grip onto the idea that I need to prove myself through accomplishment and achievement–even though in my heart of hearts I know that these things are about as sturdy as a tattered blanket.

Let Go of Attachments–Grip Onto God’s Love

When I let my worldly attachments go, then I can grip onto what will actually hold me together–God’s relentless love for me. I may never accomplish fame. I may never find acclaim. But when I can detach myself from those false values and let those deceptive idols fall from my grasp, I know God will take my empty hands and fill me with a reassurance that my worth lies simply in being His child.

Let’s all let go of attachments to the tattered values of this world. Let’s relinquish anything that gets in the way of knowing and loving God. And then let’s trust that God has something much better for our hearts.

Next step: What is holding you back from a deeper relationship with God? Is Jesus asking you to let go of something so that you can better grasp onto His unfailing love for you?

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: ,
August 4, 2020

5 Reasons We Avoid Solitude–And Why We Should Embrace It

Psalm46-10

Voltaire wrote, “The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude.” But how many of us really believe that?

In today’s chaotic, noisy world, it’s easy to avoid solitude. We don’t really have to be alone. Even when we aren’t scheduled to be engaged with people, we can avoid solitude by stopping in a coffee shop humming with espresso machines and conversations. We can video chat and Skype with people even when we can’t be with them in person.

So why do we avoid solitude and why should we embrace it instead?

5 Reasons We Avoid Solitude

First, 5 reasons we avoid solitude:

  1. We fear loneliness. It’s then we have to remember there is a difference between loneliness and solitude. Natasha Dern wrote in the Huffington Post, “Loneliness is marked by feelings of isolation and persists even when one is with other people. Solitude, on the other hand, is a state of being alone, content with your own company.” Although loneliness can be depressing, solitude can lead to greater appreciation for who you are.
  2. We’re afraid we might miss something. If we’re not chatting with friends or plugged into social media we may fear failing to know or see something important.
  3. We’re too busy. Our schedule is filled with exercise classes, work obligations, driving kids to camps and classes. There simply isn’t time to be alone.
  4. We avoid a chaotic inner life by filling it with more noise. So much is going on inside our heads that we consciously or unconsciously don’t want to deal with it, so we keep running the treadmill of appointments and social engagements.
  5. We may be hiding from God. We know in our hearts something is wrong, but we don’t want God to confront us. We don’t want to deal with the guilt, the regret, or the doubt we are feeling.

Any of those reasons sound familiar? You may be thinking. Yep, all of those sound like me.

Why We Sould Embrace Solitude

So why should we embrace solitude?

Consider the last and most important reason we avoid solitude–hiding from God. Two famous people hid from God in the book of Genesis. Adam and Eve knew they had messed up. They were ashamed. Guilt-ridden. Afraid. So when they heard the sound of God’s voice in the garden they hid among the tress. I think they ultimately knew they couldn’t really hide from God, but they tried.

I’m like that too. I want to sweep all my guilt under the rug and hope God doesn’t notice. So I hide. I avoid being alone where God’s voice might break through in the quiet. I fill my life with activity and noise. But I know all along that I can’t really hide from God. He knows all my thoughts, so it is better to open up my heart to God and let Him deal with the mess.

The Genesis story tells us that the Lord God was walking in the garden in the cool of the day. Perhaps this was a regular occurrence. After Adam and Eve had worked among the flowers and trees of Paradise, God Himself came to spend some time with them every evening. But this time they were trying to avoid Him. 

God called out, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). He calls out to us. He wants us to know that He still loves us. An article on Crosswalk.com advises, “Rather than hiding from God, denying who you are, or trying to control what others think of you, allow the truth of who you are to surface during solitude and silence – and face the reality of the person you see, flaws and all.”

The Purpose of Solitude

The purpose of solitude is to allow God to open up the hurts, the guilt, the doubts and heal them. In the silence, the Spirit reminds us of God’s words, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9) and “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3).

God loves us with an unconditional love. And sometimes the only way we can hear His words of love is when we quiet all the other voices.

Next Step: What is your number one reason for avoiding solitude? Bring it to God and ask Him to help you find time to get alone with Him this week. Schedule the time alone now

Filed Under: Spiritual Disciplines Tagged With: ,
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