Dry and yet filled
As followers of Jesus we rarely talk about the seasons in our lives when our souls are dry.
We keep going through the motions but it seems as though nothing will quench the thirst. The words on the pages are just that; words. The scriptures seem hallow and flat as if there were written for someone else and some other situation. We read yet nothing sticks. We journal yet our soul longs for more. We go to worship and sing hymns yet our souls miss the movement of the music. We bow to pray and our minds are blank.
If we were honest with one another we would confess that our souls are dry, that all the nourishment has left our soul and that we are weary. Yet, alas we remain silent, walking into church, studying in our small groups as if we are perfectly filled and that all is well.
Let me share with you that you are not alone. Last year I worked really hard with the church to fulfill our 5 year long term goals and am currently working our leadership team in new and exciting ways. It takes a lot of energy to lead, pastor, shepherd, set the vision and keep the life of a discipleship as the priority. I'm also a full time mom to a teenager. A teenager who is full of life, has difficult things happening in her life that need support and encouragement. My husband is amazing yet he works full time and has endless hours of grading and school responsibilities that reach beyond the classroom. Our lives are full. My life is filled with breath-taking and life-giving moments and yet I've been walking through a season where my soul is dry.
TodayI was hiking and with each step my shoes crunched the dry leaves beneath my feet. All around me were leaves that had been blown too and fro throughout the winter season. They laid on the ground as if they had never held color, never swayed in the wind, never brought shade for hikers in on warmer days. They were dry, crumbling on the ground. Hiking along the rim I could hear the rush of the springs flowing beneath me. I rounded the corner and could see there in the midst of the dry branches a stream of water flowing freely. I stopped to take in my surroundings and listen to the water flowing.
As I stood there listening and breathing in all that surrounded me, I was reminded that even when my soul feels dead to me that God is pouring God's self into all that I am. God has not and would never leave me. God emerges in my dry soul to fill me over and over again until my cup is overflowing.
I might not be able to feel God at this very moment. I might have given and given until my cup was empty but that does not mean that God has stopped filling my cup. He fills us when are dry, weary and feel as though we cannot take another step.
If your spirit is dry, go outside and take a deep breath. Close your eyes and ask yourselves what you feel around you? What can you hear? Now open your eyes again and take note of what you see. God is there with you. May you find the streams of living water running over you today.
We keep going through the motions but it seems as though nothing will quench the thirst. The words on the pages are just that; words. The scriptures seem hallow and flat as if there were written for someone else and some other situation. We read yet nothing sticks. We journal yet our soul longs for more. We go to worship and sing hymns yet our souls miss the movement of the music. We bow to pray and our minds are blank.
If we were honest with one another we would confess that our souls are dry, that all the nourishment has left our soul and that we are weary. Yet, alas we remain silent, walking into church, studying in our small groups as if we are perfectly filled and that all is well.
Let me share with you that you are not alone. Last year I worked really hard with the church to fulfill our 5 year long term goals and am currently working our leadership team in new and exciting ways. It takes a lot of energy to lead, pastor, shepherd, set the vision and keep the life of a discipleship as the priority. I'm also a full time mom to a teenager. A teenager who is full of life, has difficult things happening in her life that need support and encouragement. My husband is amazing yet he works full time and has endless hours of grading and school responsibilities that reach beyond the classroom. Our lives are full. My life is filled with breath-taking and life-giving moments and yet I've been walking through a season where my soul is dry.
As I stood there listening and breathing in all that surrounded me, I was reminded that even when my soul feels dead to me that God is pouring God's self into all that I am. God has not and would never leave me. God emerges in my dry soul to fill me over and over again until my cup is overflowing.
I might not be able to feel God at this very moment. I might have given and given until my cup was empty but that does not mean that God has stopped filling my cup. He fills us when are dry, weary and feel as though we cannot take another step.
If your spirit is dry, go outside and take a deep breath. Close your eyes and ask yourselves what you feel around you? What can you hear? Now open your eyes again and take note of what you see. God is there with you. May you find the streams of living water running over you today.
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