By Miriam Walsh
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father… and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27
It’s been a tough season. For the past year our family has dealt with difficult situations. One son sustained a serious brain injury. The other son had two major hip surgeries. Both continue to navigate challenging recoveries. We have given up much and I face this new school year…spent.
So approaching me with talk about giving something else up in order to focus more on my relationship with God caused my sense of entitlement to rear its ugly head from the recesses of my heart. No! Haven’t I had to sacrifice enough? Shudder.
But an encounter with Oswald Chambers’ “My Utmost for His Highest” devotional (August 17 & 18) made me see I have more in common with the rich young ruler (Luke 18) than I like to think I do. For weeks, I reluctantly asked the Lord what I should do for the month of September to strengthen my spiritual fortitude. For weeks, I ignored His promptings because I didn’t like them.
God was prompting me to forfeit my 9:00 pm “me” time and to give it to Him. But Lord, that’s when I get to stare in space wrapped up in a blanket and read a magazine or watch tv! Don’t take that away! I also felt the nudge to take a break from sugar, my crutch-of-choice during this incredibly stressful year. What?!
But this wasn’t a negotiation. And He wasn’t taking things away from me. He wanted me to give them to Him. The time was to be spent in scripture memory, prayer and getting extra sleep. When I mentioned it to my husband he said, “I think God wants us to pray together for our community group during some of that time.” Really? It was confirmed for us both later that morning through teaching we heard at church. Now God had my attention.
My lack of desire to change and keeping my hands clenched almost allowed me to miss the blessing of what God desires to do in my life and in my husband’s life. Complacency and entitlement can stain our souls. Stains pollute our faith, defile our thinking and taint the way we live out the gospel message (James 1:27).
As children of the Master, His grace is lavished upon us enabling us to live unstained lives. Lives with open hands to release all of what we desire more than God and to receive the blessing of embracing His desires for us. By laying down our wants before the Lord, He will direct our path in ways that grow us beyond what we can even imagine. More than anything else, He desires for me to lay myself down at His feet, yielding to His will with a blameless heart. Now I’m ready to face this school year.
How is your Holy30 going? What has God promoted you to give up for this month to focus more on Him? Share with other women at the Holy30 FB event!
Miriam Walsh thrives in West Michigan with her husband of over 20 years and two teenage boys. Known for her ability to weave powerful personal stories with the transformational truth of God’s Word, Miriam loves to refresh the souls of women. Miriam’s ministry passion is leading solitude retreats for women who desire to live out a vibrant faith in Jesus Christ. These experiences balance solid biblical teaching with time for personal reflection out in God’s glorious creation. Join her at her blog: Holy Wonder to delight in the majesty of God’s presence.