**I’m going deep today. And I’m ok with it.**
It’s the little things you do in life that make the most difference.
Choosing to stay on the elliptical for 10 extra minutes because you’re trying to increase your endurance…
Waiting 10 extra SECONDS before you interrupt your 4-year old son who “desperatelyneedstotellyousomethingrightthissecond,mom.” …. Breath, Lindsay…just breath…
Putting extra broccoli on your plate, in lieu of that ultra creamy-totally worth it-orgasm inducing-mac and cheese because you know the dairy will mess with your belly…
Setting your alarm clock for 15 minutes earlier so that you can sit in the dark and the silence and just talk to God…
Finding out that your dear husband arranged for a babysitter on a week night so he could take you out for sushi…
The little things.
In a sense, they are LIFE. Right?!?
It is on rare occasion that something BIG happens. A house being bought. A pregnancy. A job change. A move across the country. Those things happen maybe once a year.
It is the little things, the daily things,that make up this life we live.
I think God works most in the little things. I truly believe that. He uses everyday life, everyday choices to make the biggest difference. Don’t get me wrong – YOU get to choose what you do (that’s called Freedom of Choice), but God’s hand is in and on these choices you make. And that’s where prayer comes in. Asking God to help you make the right choice – His choice, His path. Usually we only think about God and His direction for the BIG things: the houses, the job change, when we should/shouldn’t have kids.
But it is equally as important to seek God’s will and blessing in the LITTLE THINGS. Doing so enables something beautiful to happen….
It creates a CONVERSATION – a daily talk.
In doing so, we’re not crying out to God when we’re desperate, when we’ve lost all hope. Rather, we are talking and listening on a daily basis. PLUGGED IN to Father. Asking Him to bless our daily food, our daily decisions, the words we speak to co-workers.
Asking Him to give us the desire to be patient with our children when they get home from school, to protect our husbands at their workplace. PRAISING Him for providing the money to buy Pantene Pro-V and not VO5. Little prayers and conversations with God spoken throughout the day make a HUGE difference in the way you walk. You walk beside a FRIEND.
Our culture tells us that we can do this on our own. And that when we can’t (and I assure you, we can’t), there will be a quick fix to rescue and save us from ourselves.
Wow.
How very wrong.
I say let’s try something different….let’s set up this DAILY relationship with our Father and THEN when things go wrong, we’re ok. Because we know we have a strong and perfect defender right by our side.
A relationship. In the little things. In daily life.
That’s what living in/by faith means.
And it is what we were (perfectly) designed to do. Because surely we know that we can’t do this alone.
QUESTION: I’ve never hidden my faith from anyone. But I also haven’t asked you about yours. DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD? DO YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM? Email me if you’d like to know where to start!!
splendid…lindsay
What an amazing post! Such a good reminder, and one I REALLY needed to hear today! I am definitely a believer in God, more specifically in Jesus as Savior…and you are so right that it’s the little things in daily life that God makes himself evident to us and to others through us.
I don’t believe in God, but I definitely do believe in the little things being what make up our relationships – whether it’s friends, family, colleagues, or with a higher power.
I am a definite believer in God. I haven’t always been. When I was struggling with an eating disorder and perfection , there was no room for God. After all, food and exercise became my idols and a God to me. The scale determined my worth, not God. But today, I realize I owe everything to God. And I make him the center of my life, he gave me life…it’s the least I can do for Him.
Preach girl!! I LOVE this!! It is a DAILY walk — not a ‘whenitsconvenient’, ‘whenineedsomething’, ‘imintroublepleasehelpme’ conversation. I desire so much to KNOW Christ more intimately and I know that daily devotions, prayer, and worship can help bring me closer to this. Thank you for sharing from your heart!
Amen, sister! This post may seem like a little thing, but it’s a big thing. Thank you for your boldness and your faithfulness. Love you for loving HIM and putting Him first! And prayers for all who read this. Give them hearts to understand :). Love you!!
Yes!! I certainly believe in God and have a personal relationship with Him. I don’t know how I could make it through a day without Him.
yes! I am not sure what I would do without my faith in God!
I absolutely ADORE how you talk about your faith and your close, close, close relationship with God. It’s inspiring, it’s calming, it’s exactly what I need to hear to keep me faithful and faith-filled. I totally AGREE that God works in amazing ways when it comes to the little things — I like to think of them as little sticky notes left by God to remind us to have perspective, to find joy in all things that fill our day, not just the high, big points.
You are so right about the trusting God with the little things… we would miss out on so much if we were only focused on the big life changes. Thanks for this encouragement, and reminder!
I am a born again believer, thankful for His mercy and love! I love this post, as it is a reminder to cherish the things we take for granted. I think you see the most beauty in those small things, too!
I’m a believer over here :) Since I was 14 years-old. My daily talks with God aren’t where they should be right now, I definitely tend to talk to him more when I need things rather than when life is good for the most part. A horrible habit, but one I think many can relate to. I’ve been trying to pray daily again, the best time for me is when I first wake up in the morning. No better way to start a day.
So refreshing to hear the Gospel out in the open, vulnerable, and raw. Your incredible joy and faith in the Lord shines through as well as his merciful promises to us! Continued thoughts and prayers for you in your journey.
I am a reader of your blog but normally do not comment. I just wanted you to know how awesome it is that you are obedient to Gods voice and that you use this blog for Him. You are a great example of a Godly woman, know that your blog is making a difference.
yes and yes! Great post. You have such a sweet heart, and you are so genuine, I love it. I have been working on keeping the conversation going all day long with God, some days its tough! It’s easy to say “i’m busy” or “i forgot” but I need to make a better effort.
thanks for this post…I do have a relationship with God, I am a born again Christian, although I do NEED to and WANT to devote more time to him! Thanks for the reminder!
You know I believe; there is not much left of me or my life or my direction without God in the picture. :) What a beautiful post – the Gospel! – for us to read today. I hope there are those out there with questions who do send you an email today. :D Love you! and so thankful to be loved by God and in a community – we can’t do it alone, you’re right.
I absolutely believe in God and know that His plan is what I need to focus on, not the plan I try to write for myself…I struggle with that often, that whole not being in control part, but the more I surrender and share with Him, the more at peace I find myself and the happier my day-to-day is.
I absolutely believe in God and I see the miracles He works in my life on a constant basis – the big ones AND the small ones. I talk to Him (and my girl, Mary) on a daily basis. It saddens me when to know that not everyone knows such a relationship. Thanks for writing this, Linds!
This was absolutely beautiful.
Yes I do believe in god, sometimes I question why things happen, but I know god does all for a reason <3
Love this post and………… love YOU! <3
I love this post! I do believe in God and grew up in a christian family but faith was never a huge part of our everyday life. I am just now beginning to build my faith and it feels amazing!
I absolutely believe in God and love Him more than I could describe. You said it all perfectly here!
Amen, Lindsay. your boldness to speak out for the glory of the Lord inspires me daily. what a great reminder that in order to know his voice I need to listen to his voice. every
day.
I’m Jewish and I do believe in God. I do think everything happens for a reason and God has a plan for all of us. :)
Sometimes when I read your posts, I wish you lived nearby so we could go get coffee and chat! Thanks for this important reminder. Always good stuff on LL. Also seriously wish I could attend BLEND. Maybe next year!
love this.
my faith looks different but underneath it we are all the same.
seeking HIM and not only the things HE does for us. The little things. Like a word of hope, encouragement, and love from a faith filled post. LIKE THIS!! LOOOVE !!
This is a great post!! I grew up in church, and YES I am a believer. This past year has been one of the hardest years of my life, and I can fully say that there was not one time that God left my side or that he did any of it to spite me. Throughout these trials, I’ve learned lessons and grown closer with him. He answers prayers!
I absolutely LOVE this post! For me, it’s definitely about finding balance and prioritizing. Every once in a while it’s good to do a little adjusting of the priorities and making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be!
Thank you for the reminder. One of my goals for 2013 is to find joy in every day. I’m so bad about always looking toward a big day, big event, etc. I never stop to enjoy the little things in life and thank God, praise God, or even just talk to God about them. If we took every little thing to God, think about how much we’d talk to him? We’d probably have a pretty rock solid relationship with Him. Again, thank you thank you thank you for this reminder!
I do believe in God . . . and have a special relationship with him. It’s interesting to think back over the years and look at how that relationship has evolved. This post made me reflect a bit on that. There are things that are for the better, and there are things that could stand improvement. But I know He is there for me, and I must keep honoring Him as best I can.