Mom, are you diving deeper into God’s Word daily or stuck in the shallow end with your feet on the bottom? Most days it’s hard to find the time when raising kids, but we are missing out on experiencing God’s love in a deeper way if we stay in the shallow end where things are comfortable. A challenge to take your faith deeper!
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Story time…
I want to share a story with you from the summertime, that I believe ultimately, the Lord revealed to me to be both encouragement and challenge you today.
James, my youngest, is 5, and he has been swimming like a fish all summer! He can swim half of an olympic size pool without taking a breath in the shallow end, so he KNOWS HOW TO SWIM and easily has the basics down.
Knowing this, I asked him one day if he would like to take his swim test at the YMCA, that would allow him to swim in any part of the pool, including the 12 FOOT DEEP END! In order to pass, all you have to do it swim one lap in the deep end, tread water for 30 seconds and then float on your back.
I was talking to the lifeguard about it, and when James heard this, he panicked! He pulled me away saying, “I can’t do all three of those things” or “no, the water is way too deep.”
When in reality, he has been a strong swimmer for 2 straight summers now, so It’s time!…
I told him we would practice all of those things in the shallow end until he felt confident and then we would move to the deep end for the swim test if he stayed committed to work in it.
Okay, great story, but what’s the point?…
And I will tell you, this may hit a little hard today…
I began to remember in the story with James, I started writing and thinking about this verse from Hebrews 5:12, talking to Jewish Christians struggling to take the next step in their faith:
"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food”
Thinking about the concept of needing milk over solid food in a spiritual sense, got me thinking about how many Christians, including myself for a long time, are living comfortably staying in the shallow end of the pool of their faith?
The Christian life is not meant to be comfortable or easy, where we can touch our feet to the bottom if we get tired. It is meant to constantly grow and change us and make us more like Jesus, but we can only do this by diving deeper into His Word.
When we first become Christians, I think it’s like the floaty stage: It’s new, you’re still learning, but excited and a little nervous!
Then we take the floaties off and take more ownership of our faith. We learn the staple Bible verses like John 3:16, go to church on Sundays and join a group, we may even be tithing, volunteering with our kids at VBS or listening to Christian music, but in most seasons of life, that is as far as it goes!
And of course, ALL of these things are good things, but just like that verse said…If our spiritual life is convenient or comfortable to stay where is is…If we are compartmentalizing our “church or Jesus time” where it fits into our busy schedules as moms, we’re missing out!
If you and I were able to talk face to face and I asked you:
“Tell me something God is teaching you right now? What would you say? Would you have anything to say?
Are you diving deeper into God’s Word daily?“
I’ll be honest and say, it’s a constant struggle and battle with time for me. However, the more I learn from God’s Word and spend consistent time with Him, the more I want! It’s freeing. It’s challenging and never boring or routine. Experiencing God’s love in a deeper way, is truly more that you can ask or imagine!
Like it says is Ephesians 3: 17&20:
“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
What can I learn from this?
You may say, “I want to go deeper Mallory, but I’m not sure what to do or expect?”
Will I have to share my faith with others or teach others the Bible, because those things scare me! Or maybe, you say I can’t understand a lot of the Bible…my car …so I prefer to stick with the parts I know…
Just like I told James, you have to start somewhere….so ask yourself, what am I doing to prepare myself for the deep end? Am I reading my Bible consistently? Do I have a more mature woman of the faith pouring into me and holding me accountable? How is my prayer life? Am I talking to my kids about the Lord daily? Have I ever discipled another mom or younger woman?
You have to start somewhere, and a great place to do that is with your hands open and tell the Lord, whatever He calls you to do, YOU WILL DO IT! As you dive deeper into knowing more and more of His Word, He will equip you to DO whatever it is!
Remember, what you put in will come out, so the more of God’s Word you consume, the deeper it will take you on a journey that is immeasurably more than you could ever think of, which is the complete opposite of everything the world tells you, you need or could ever want!
I don’t want to leaving you hanging with this challenge and no where to go..
If you are currently not spending daily time with the Lord and want to start learning to be more consistent, a great way to start is with a Scripture writing plan. My hosting ministry (Love Worth Finding) has some great ones to choose from. Today I am recommending “Digging Deeper into Discipleship,” about taking your faith to the next level. It’s completely FREE! Just download, print in out and journal the Verse each day. You can even write out a prayer to the Lord or something the Lord is teaching you through that Verse. Take it a step more, by using a study Bible when you read, so you can read the footnotes of what that Verse is really trying to say. All of this is very great way to get started with consistent time in God’s Word to take you DEEPER!
And you if you say, “Mallory, I feel like I am having a consistent quiet time, and I want to go even deeper, that is AWESOME! Faithful 31 Moms and Love Worth Finding together, have some AMAZING NEW Bible studies for you to try! I personally just completed the Fruits of the Spirit study with a friend and it has been so good! Check those out HERE! and make sure you use our exclusive Faithful 31 discount code F31M10 for 10% off any purchase!
ALWAYS make sure to be following on Instagram @faithful31moms for all the latest new blogs and podcasts!
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