A couple weeks ago I shared about the start of my journey to
learn guitar. About how I tried to learn before, but gave up time and time
again, abhorring being bad at things.
I shared how this time I committed myself to the process,
knowing I had to find joy in the small successes and in the journey, along the
way finding beauty in the slow development of a new skill. And bit by bit, I
have been improving.
What’s been even more beautiful than seeing the small, but
steady progress come through commitment, dedication, and delight in the process
are the ways these same principles have drawn me deeper in intimacy with the
Lord.
I struggle with daily, scheduled time with God. Too often, I
allow it to happen when it’s most convenient, failing to place ultimate
priority on that quiet time with Him.
Much like with guitar, I want immediate “results” with
God. I want revelation. I want to hear His voice clearly. I want to feel His
presence. And quickly He becomes more like a Genie than a God who I am in a
personal relationship with.
He wants more than me coming to Him solely when I am in need or
with specific expectation. There is something to be said for daily commitment
to time with Him. For setting aside time to thank Him for who He is. For
giving space for the Spirit to move.
So during this Lenten season I have committed myself to daily
time with Jesus. No agenda other than to come to Him with all my heart, ready
to receive whatever He has. No specific devotional or book, no day looking like
the one before. No expectation other than for Him to show up as He wills.
Just as my fingers are now able to move and stretch to play new
notes in a way they couldn’t just weeks ago, so is my heart able to stretch and
move to new, more intimate places with Jesus.
Where I struggled to silence my heart and hear the voice of the
Lord, I now hear Him more clearly.
It’s been a process. It takes time to silence my heart and to
open my ears to His word, but it gets a little easier, a little less
uncomfortable, with each day.
As I said in regards to guitar, “I’m not where I want to
be yet, but I’m on my way. There has been such beauty in this process of slow,
gradual growth and daily commitment.”
Are you giving God the time and the space to stretch and move
you and your heart to new places? What would it look like for you to make that
space in your life?
