You probably know the story of Jonah, the guy with the giant fish story. God gave Jonah an assignment to preach to the city of Nineveh and Jonah decided to go the opposite direction to Tarshish.

The book of Jonah begins with,

“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before Me’” (Jonah 1:1-2).

We don’t know what Jonah was doing when the word of the Lord came to him. We do know from 2 Kings that the prophet had spoken to King Jeroboam II, a ruler who reigned during a period of prosperity. Commentators surmise that Jonah had ample personal resources if he could afford passage on a ship to Tarshish. Some experts even note that the original Hebrew could mean Jonah hired out the entire ship!^[i] So we might picture Jonah living a comfortable life in Gath-hepher enjoying the position of a favored prophet of the king. He did not want God to interrupt his cushy life with an arduous journey.

We also don’t know how the word of the Lord came to Jonah. Did God speak in an audible voice? Did Yahweh tap on Jonah’s heart? Did He deliver the message through someone else?

God’s Divine Direction

We all want to receive the word of the Lord. I think of times when I desperately desired specific direction. My heart cried out, “Please God, show me which way to go. Speak to me. Write in the sky.” But I wonder what I would have done if God had rented out a billboard along a highway and wrote:

Dear Sharla,

I want you to go to Papua New Guinea to share My good news.

Thanks, God.

I probably would have acted a lot like Jonah. I would have tried going north instead of south.

Usually, when I seek God’s direction for my life, I really mean, “Lord, please approve my plans” or “I have two good and favorable options, God. Which one will give me the most success and satisfaction?” Like Jonah, I don’t want God to break into my comfortable life and inconvenience my schedule. I don’t want Him to detour the usual bus route that is my life.

At times, God’s divine deviations involved big changes to my plans like moving to Western Montana instead of the Eastern United States. But often His redirections simply involve changing my daily schedule to accommodate a friend’s urgent need. It may mean I don’t get all the items on my to-do list checked off, but from my reaction you would have thought God had asked me to go to Nineveh.

Like Jonah, we may balk at God’s instructions because we have already decided our way is best.

Are we willing to let God interrupt our plans with His? The Bible tells us about God’s ways,

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8).

Maybe like me, you pray, “Oh, Lord, it would be so much more convenient if Your thoughts and plans matched up with mine!” Are we willing to let God redirect our lives?

Why We Can Say Yes to Divine Interruptions

Reading on in Isaiah, we learn why we can say yes to God’s interruptions:

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)

Although I am sure my plans are the best, God’s plans are even better. When we realize this, we can follow His route for our lives.

Perhaps the most important item to pack when determining God’s route for our lives is a teachable heart. Psalm 25:9 tells us,

“He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.”

You’ll notice it doesn’t say, “God reveals His will to those who insist their way is right” or “The Lord directs those who stubbornly demand their own route.” Instead, our loving Father gently guides those who take His hand, admit they don’t know the best way to go, and allow Him to lead step by step.

Learning to live in God’s will means allowing God to interrupt our plans with His.

Learning to live in God’s will means allowing God to interrupt our plans with His.

[i] NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Kindle edition 7743 of 13726.

This post is an excerpt from my book Divine Directions: How God Guides Your Path–a Bible study of eight journeys in the Bible. As you study Abraham’s journey to Canaan, Ruth’s journey from Moab, the path of the Magi, and five others, you will glean principles for your own life journey and decision-making.

Divine Directions: How God Guides Your Path will help you:

• Discover biblical principles for seeking God’s guidance
• Learn about important journeys in the Bible
• Embrace God’s wisdom and timing in your life path
• Use a four-step process when making decisions

Learn more about the book here:

Get the book!

The post Learning to Live with Divine Interruptions appeared first on Sharla Fritz.

The year after I graduated from high school, I traveled the country with a Christian singing group named Joy, Inc. When I left home to travel with the group, the journey felt both exciting and a little scary. Homesickness parked in my heart the moment I saw my family leave after driving me to Milwaukee where the group would rehearse. But soon I had the thrill of meeting the rest of the band members and the joy of learning new music.

After a month of rehearsing our concert numbers, we had a repertoire of songs ready to perform. We headed out on the road. Every morning we would get up and pack our suitcases and load them on good old Miracle White (a retrofitted school bus painted white that served as our tour bus). Someone would ask, “Where to today?” and the bus would travel to Bradley, Illinois; Louisville, Kentucky; Salt Lake City, Utah…

When we arrived at the church where we would play that evening, we would set up our instruments and sound system. At 7:00 p.m. we would sing our hearts out and visit with concertgoers afterward. Host families from the church generously gave us places to rest our weary heads for the night and the next day we’d start the process all over again.

Every day we each had to agree, “I will go.”

Rebekah’s Journey

The story of Rebekah in the Bible tells of a woman willing to go where God led. It begins with the journey of Abraham’s servant. Abraham gave the significant task of finding a wife for his son, Isaac, to his most trusted helper. Abraham told his servant to travel to Nahor where Abraham’s relatives lived in order to find a suitable wife.

When the servant arrived at Nahor with his ten camels, he prayed that God would show him the right woman for Isaac by having her give him a drink and offer to draw water for all his camels. The Lord graciously answered his prayer. Before he even finished praying, Rebekah came out and drew water for all ten of his thirsty animals.

When Rebekah met Abraham’s servant at the well, she could never have imagined that the very next day she would leave home. In one day, she went from dutiful daughter to betrothed wife. When Abraham’s servant approached Rebekah’s family, the men all agreed: “The thing has come from the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you; take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken” (Genesis 24:50-51). Take her and go. I wonder if Rebekah felt offended at their seeming eagerness. Was she shocked when her father and brother consented to the marriage so quickly?

The next morning, Abraham’s servant announced, “Send me away to my master” (Genesis 24:54). Now Rebekah’s family tried to stall him, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go” (Genesis 24:55). I can certainly understand this request. If my daughter was moving to a new home and I might never see her again, I’d like to squeeze out a little more time of hugs and goodbyes. And I think I’d like to know this servant-guy a bit better before I handed my precious child over to him. Could I actually trust his story?

But the servant continued to press them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master” (Genesis 24:56). Finally, the family consulted Rebekah and she said, “I will go.” Rebekah bravely said yes. The Lord had opened the way and she agreed to step into His plan.

I Will Go

Rebekah said, “I will go,” even though the journey of 500 miles would have hardship. Even though it meant leaving her family. Even though it certainly meant leaving her current way of life behind.

May we, like Rebekah, say, “I will go” when Jesus asks us to follow Him. May we tell Him every day, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you even if it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable. I will follow You even when it means surrendering things dear to me. I will continually step forward with You, even when I’d like to go back to what seems familiar and safe.”

Perhaps one key to hearing God’s divine directions for our lives is our own willingness to follow those directions. Why would anyone offer direction if they knew the other person was not receptive? God loves us enough to not force us to obey. He patiently waits for our hearts to be open to His ways. He waits for us to tell Him, “I will go.”

The journey of following Jesus is not a three-week vacation trip. It’s a lifelong expedition of saying, “Yes, Jesus. I will go.”

The journey of following Jesus is a lifelong expedition of saying, “Yes, Jesus. I will go.”

This post is an excerpt from my book Divine Directions: How God Guides Your Path–a Bible study of eight journeys in the Bible. As you study Abraham’s journey to Canaan, Ruth’s journey from Moab, the path of the Magi, and five others, you will glean principles for your own life journey and decision-making.

Divine Directions: How God Guides Your Path will help you:

• Discover biblical principles for seeking God’s guidance
• Learn about important journeys in the Bible
• Embrace God’s wisdom and timing in your life path
• Use a four-step process when making decisions

Learn more about the book here:

Get the book!

The post Tell God, “I Will Go” appeared first on Sharla Fritz.

The world whizzed by as I sweltered in our little red Nissan Sentra. Driving west across the northern plains of the U.S., the sun baked the interior of the car. The wind coming through the windows wasn’t enough to cool us so I sometimes resorted to throwing ice down the back of my shirt to cool down my body temperature.

You see, we were driving from Wisconsin to Montana to my husband’s new job as pastor. We had just purchased this cute red car, but because we were moving to that northern state, we thought we wouldn’t need air conditioning. Who would have thought that temperatures would reach 102 degrees on the very day we reached our final destination of Missoula?

As we drove across the country, we used a map. (Yep, a paper map!) The map clearly indicated the best road to our destination. Take I-90 through Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.

At one point in the drive, however, we started to question the route to our new home. What made us doubt our decision to follow God’s call to Montana? The lack of people! At one point in our drive through Wyoming, we saw cattle. We saw fields. But while traveling at 55 mph, we didn’t see a single vehicle or human for an entire hour. And when we did see a vehicle again, it was a pickup truck that hauled two spare tires and a gas can in the truck bed. Clearly, people living here were prepared for the wilderness. And we wondered: Would our new home in Missoula look like this? Maybe we should just turn around.

Although we had clarity of route, we didn’t always have clarity of heart.

Clarity of Heart

Abram, on the other hand, had clarity of heart even when he didn’t have clarity of route. He had chosen to obey God’s calling and went off before even knowing exactly where he would end up.

The book of Hebrews tells us,

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.  (Hebrews 11:8-10)

Let’s examine this passage a little more closely.

By faith Abram “went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). We don’t know the specifics of how God guided Abram to the land of Canaan. Did God speak to Abram? Did He use people along the way to give him directions? I know I would have liked a few giant road signs along the way that said, “Abram, turn left here!” I’m sure the traveler from Ur would have liked a detailed map and clear road signs just as much as I do. But what does God desire? To build faith.

Faith is the Opposite of Clarity

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith this way: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (emphasis added). 

In other words, faith is the opposite of clarity. We all want clarity. When I searched the word clarity on the internet, my search engine came up with 600,000,000 items on the subject. We want clarity in work, in relationships, in financial decisions. Couldn’t someone just tell us the right way to go? The best thing to do?

But if we have clarity, we don’t need faith. Clarity means we can already distinguish which direction to go. Because God always desires to strengthen our faith, sometimes He withholds clarity. To build Abram’s faith, He didn’t provide all the details of the patriarch’s journey. In the same way, while God assures us of our final destination in heaven, He doesn’t point out all the twists, turns, detours, avalanches, and bridge closings we’ll encounter ahead of time because He wants to build our trust in Him and His turn-by-turn directions as we need them.

Because God always desires to strengthen our faith, sometimes He withholds clarity.

---

This post is an excerpt from my book Divine Directions: How God Guides Your Path–a Bible study of eight journeys in the Bible. As you study Abraham’s journey to Canaan, Ruth’s journey from Moab, the path of the Magi, and five others, you will glean principles for your own life journey and decision-making.

Divine Directions: How God Guides Your Path will help you:

• Discover biblical principles for seeking God’s guidance
• Learn about important journeys in the Bible
• Embrace God’s wisdom and timing in your life path
• Use a four-step process when making decisions

Learn more about the book here:

Get the book!

The post Choose Confidence in God Over Clarity of Course appeared first on Sharla Fritz.

I want to help you make the most of your summer by giving you four questions that can guide your decisions.

I love summer. I look forward to being able to go outside without first bundling up in boots, coats, hats, and gloves. I love the more relaxed teaching schedule that gives me more time to read. I indulge in picnics and outdoor concerts.

But the summer often goes by way too fast! Too often, I’ve let the season fly by without doing the activities I enjoy. I’ve come to the first of September carrying regret that I didn’t make the most of the days of sunshine and warm weather.

You, too? We can all get caught up in our daily routines and miss opportunities to revel in summer activities.

So to help you, I’ve come up with four questions to ask yourself in order to make the most of your summer.

Question 1: What feels like rest to you?

This question may surprise you, but hear me out. In those summers when I’ve not taken advantage of what the season has to offer, I’ve arrived at fall just as burnt out and exhausted as I felt in May. I want my summer to renew and recharge my weary soul, but I’ve found it doesn’t happen automatically. If I don’t incorporate restful activities into days, my heart will begin to unravel and my soul will wear thin.

I’ll share a short list of what feels like rest to my soul:

• time to read
• walking in nature
• talking and laughing with friends
• dinner out with my husband
• time in God’s Word

Now it’s your turn. Make a list of what feels like rest to you. What energizes you? What renews you?

Question 2: What matters most to you this summer?

Think about what you most want to do in the next few months. What sounds especially fun to you? Which activities make your heart sing? What will you regret if fall comes and you haven’t done this important thing?

It might help to think about this question in categories. Think about:

• Time to have fun
• Time to get away
• Time to relax
• Time with family and friends
• Time with God

As an example, I’ll list a few things that matter most to me this summer. I love going to Ravinia in the summer to hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra play, so this is what matters most in the category of fun. I’m going to get away by going to a large convention in Milwaukee where I’ll meet up with fellow authors and sisters in Christ. I will relax with my favorite hobby of reading (my to-be-read stack is beckoning!). I’ll take advantage of my more relaxed teaching schedule and meet up with friends for coffee or lunch. And my time with God will come in extended quiet times and personal spiritual retreats.

I encourage you to make a list of all the things you’d like to do this summer. Circle the three activities that matter most. Then, put a star by the one that is the number one priority!

Question 3: How will you ensure that your summer includes what matters most?

Hopefully, making that list of what matters most will help you to engage in those activities, but we’re human. We get distracted. The dailyness of life sometimes shoves out the important.

But there are ways to help us live intentionally.

We can make a summer bucket list of all the things we wish to do, listing them in order of importance. I’ve done this in the past and it has helped me come to the end of summer saying, ‘”That was fun!”

We can schedule the activities most important to us. I’ve already looked up the Ravinia schedule and written on the calendar the concerts I most want to attend. We can block out certain days for meeting with friends. Or send a text right now to a friend we haven’t seen in a while and say, “It’s been too long! Let’s get something on the calendar.”

In order to do what matters most, we may also need to eliminate activities that don’t fill us with joy or renew our souls. Maybe you say no to the neighborhood block party in order to go to that concert that stirs your heart. Perhaps you make meals at home simpler, so you have time to walk in the evening.

Question 4: How will you connect with God, the Giver of soul rest?

We not only want our summers to include all the fun, but we also want to arrive at September with renewed spirits. Our refreshed hearts will help us accomplish the tasks God has for us when the fall schedules begin again.

So we need to connect with God who promises to give us the rest we need.

In Jeremiah 31:25, God promises:

 For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.

Is your soul weary?

Is your soul languishing?

The good news is that God is able to satisfy your soul and replenish the emptiness in your heart.

One easy way to connect with the Giver of soul rest is through a practice called Centering Prayer.

For this practice, simply find a comfortable and quiet place to sit. Set a time for 5 – 10 minutes. Then close your eyes and quiet your mind, as you focus on God’s love for you.

Because my mind is prone to wandering, I find it helpful to meditate on a passage of Scripture. I like to use the Word-by-Word method of Meditation where I focus on a verse and repeat it, each time emphasizing a different word and considering how stressing that word gives me a new perspective.

For instance, if I meditate on Jeremiah 31:25 and I emphasize the word I, I remember that it is God who is talking in the verse. God is the One who can satisfy and replenish my soul. I might try a lot of other things like a luxury vacation or even those outdoor concerts that I love so much. But they can only offer temporary relief. Only God can truly renew my soul.

Then, I can move on to the next word, will. God says, “I will satisfy…” He doesn’t say, “I might satisfy” or “I could satisfy (if I wanted to).” He promises that if we come to Him, He will satisfy our souls.

The next word, satisfy, reminds me that God is the giver of contentment. He sees all my yearnings. He knows what truly fills me up and makes me whole. When I think about that truth, I can better trust God to handle all my cravings.

This summer, consider adding 5-10 minutes of time to connect with God every day. You might make this a part of your morning devotions or schedule it as part of your lunch break. It could be a wonderful way to end your day.

Use these four questions to make the most of your summer! Enjoy the season and let God renew and refresh your soul!

Discover Soul Rest

And if you want more information about soul rest, consider my video course Discover Soul Rest. This video course has already helped people escape the hurry and hustle of daily life and find the soul rest they crave.

This course will help you:

• learn God’s life rhythm of rest
• defeat the enemies of rest
• find an antidote to anxiety
• explore the practice of letting go
• use God’s Word as a tool for soul rest
• learn soul-rest practices that will lead you into God’s presence where you can receive soul rest

In the Discover Soul Rest course you will get:

• 5 Units–each focusing on a biblical word for rest from the original Hebrew and Greek
• 10 teaching videos–each 10-12 minutes long
• 10 downloadable worksheets–with key takeaways and Bible study practices
• 25+ soul-rest practices–all based on God’s Word

Once you purchase the course you will have access to all the videos and worksheets. You can complete the course at your own pace and come back to review the materials again and again.

Click below to find out about this course.

The post 4 Questions to Make the Most of Your Summer appeared first on Sharla Fritz.

What do you do when you feel exhausted and empty? Spent and Stressed? Out-of-sorts and out-of-gas?

You might look for relief in a good night’s sleep or an extended vacation.

But sometimes physical rest or a weekend away doesn’t provide the relief we crave. What we really need is soul rest.

We need soul rest because the world moves at a hurried, harried pace.

We need it because Satan continually plants seeds of doubt and distraction that erode our peace.

We need it because our culture worships productivity and idolizes busyness.

My Journey to Soul Rest

For years I lived a hurried, harried life. Not only did I schedule nearly every minute of the day, but I worked like my life depended on it–even when it didn’t. I strove and struggled for peace–which I thought would come when I had accomplished all my goals or when I had done “enough”.

But I discovered that God does not intend us to live that way.

I discovered that the Father offers me soul rest–the kind of rest that is more than a good night’s sleep or even an extended vacation. In Him, I found a rest characterized by a deep peace and a sense of wholeness. Even more surprising, I learned that I didn’t need to earn this rest. God graciously offers this kind of rest and His Word showed me how to receive it.

Now my life may still have hectic days and weeks, sometimes I still cram too much into my schedule. But I’ve learned to lean on God instead of myself. I’ve adopted God’s life-giving rhythms that revive my weary soul.

Discover Soul Rest Course

In my new Discover Soul Rest digital course, I share what I’ve learned so that you can find soul rest, too. In this course, you will study five biblical words for rest from the original Greek and Hebrew. Examining these words will help you understand God’s definition of rest and how He generously offers it to you. You will also learn soul-rest practices that will keep your heart attuned to God’s rhythm for life.

Here’s a two-minute sneak peek of the course.

This course will help you:

• learn God’s life rhythm of rest
• defeat the enemies of rest
• find an antidote to anxiety
• explore the practice of letting go
• use God’s Word as a tool for soul rest
• learn soul-rest practices that will lead you into God’s presence where you can receive soul rest

In the Discover Soul Rest course you will get:

• 5 Units–each focusing on a biblical word for rest from the original Hebrew and Greek
• 10 teaching videos–each 10-12 minutes long
• 10 downloadable worksheets–with key takeaways and Bible study practices
• 25+ soul-rest practices–all based on God’s Word

Once you purchase the course you will have access to all the videos and worksheets. You can complete the course at your own pace and come back to review the materials again and again.

If you would like to slow down and learn the rhythms of rest, I hope you will consider taking this course. 

Fight Against Hurry and Find Soul Rest

My prayer is that participants in this course will have the tools to fight against the world’s demand for productivity and Satan’s weapons of comparison and hurry. I pray they will learn to carve out time to pull away from the world and sit in God’s presence long enough for Him to give them rest.

To find out more and to purchase the course, click the button below.

The post Discover Soul Rest with a New Course appeared first on Sharla Fritz.

One of my favorite traditions of the Christmas season is to get out all of the decorations and put up the Christmas tree. I drag up all the boxes from the basement, assemble the Christmas tree, gently unwrap each ornament and hang it on a branch–all while listening to my favorite Christmas CDs.

One year while I was wrapping lights around the tree, one little lyric from the beloved carol, “O Holy Night” suddenly struck me as if I had heard it for the first time:

“Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.”

The soul felt its worth.

That line sang in my heart because truthfully I don’t always feel valuable. I often feel I’m not worth much.

Do I Matter?

In his book, Fearless, Max Lucado says that one of mankind’s greatest fear is the fear of not mattering. Friends forget to call. I wonder: Do they care? I shuffle through crowds looking for the perfect gift. Am I just one of the herd? The world’s population has reached 7 billion. Does my puny life among so many make any difference at all?
Thankfully, Christmas reminds me that I do matter. It informs each of us of our worth in God’s eyes.

You matter so much that Jesus left the comfort and splendor of heaven to be born to a poor Galilean couple. He loved you enough to lie on a bed of straw. He cared enough for you to experience hunger, thirst, and even damp swaddling clothes. Jesus came to redeem you so that you–yes, you–could live with Him forever by believing in His saving work on the cross.

Precious in God’s Eyes

So this Christmas, if while pushing through crowds you begin to wonder if you matter at all, remember that you are valuable in God’s eyes. He tells you in His Word:

“You are precious in My eyes and honored, and I love you.”
Isaiah 43:4

God sees you as precious. He regards you as honored. He loves you. 

So when you begin to doubt your worth, reread those words, and feel your fear of not mattering melt away.

Rejoice that because of Christ, your soul has worth.

Next step: Sing or listen to “O Holy Night” and let the words “and the soul felt its worth” sink into your soul. Memorize or post Isaiah 43:4 where you will be reminded of your value in God’s eyes.

The post For When You Doubt Your Worth appeared first on Sharla Fritz.

What does it mean to listen to your life?

At the beginning of 2022, I chose the word “listen” to guide my year. (You can find out more about choosing a word for your year here.) During this year I have tried to become a better listener, both in listening to God and listening to the people in my life. I have endeavored to learn more about listening by looking for passages in the Bible about listening and memorizing a few key verses.

I have also read a few books about listening, including, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. I think one of the questions we all ask God is, “What do You want me to do with my life?” We wrestle with this question when we don the graduation gown and wonder what major to declare in college. We repeat the question when the job we have doesn’t seem the right fit. The question inserts itself into our middle years when we wonder what to do with an empty nest. We ask, “Now what, God?”

Let Your Life Speak tells us that God may speak through our very lives. As we reflect on what’s happening right now and interpret it through the lens of God’s Word, we may find clues about our next steps.

Here are three lessons I gleaned from the book and how I’ve been using these principles.

Principle 1: Listen to Your Life by Reflecting On What is Happening

Author Parker Palmer writes,

“We need to listen to what our lives are saying and take notes on it, lest we forget our own truth or deny that we ever heard it” (p.6).

This sounds very mysterious, right Listen to what our lives are saying?

Acts 17:26-27 can give us some guidance here:

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. (ESV)

In other words, God can use our specific time and place to draw us closer to Him. He can use the good and the bad, the joyful and the painful. He can use the unexpected diagnosis to pull us into His arms. Guidance can come through a job promotion.One of the ways I use this principle is to ask reflection questions. At least one a month I take a few hours to look back and discover mor about my life.

I ask questions like:

• What in the past 30 days was life-giving?
• What was life-draining?
• What drew me closer to God?
• What led me away from Him?

In answering these questions, I can more clearly see what activities I want to continue and what I need to abandon. Perhaps I discover that too much time on social media is life-draining and so I take steps to limit my time there. On the other hand, I may find that my time teaching ESL at a local literacy center is incredibly life-giving and so I choose to continue it. Of course, we can’t always chuck the life-draining activities. A newborn still needs 2 am feedings. We can’t simply ditch our nagging back pain. But reflecting on our lives can give us clues on what steps to take next in our journey with God.

Principle #2: Listen to Your Life by Knowing Yourself Better

When I look for direction in life, I would like to find a plan with all the steps that would guarantee success and meaningful purpose. But the truth is, no plan can work for everyone because each person is unique. To know what steps to take, we need to know ourselves.

Palmer writes,

One dwells with God by being faithful to one’s nature. One crosses God by trying to be something one is not. (p. 51)

And:

It is the self planted in us by the God who made us in God’s own image–the self that wants nothing more, or less, than for us to be who we were created to be. (p. 69)

When I’m listening to God for life direction, I take into account how God made me. The more I know about myself, the more I have the ability to choose the life path best suited for me. I can better understand my God-given talents and why certain jobs or ways of serving feel right and others don’t. I can listen to my life in order to answer the question, “When do I most feel like me?”

In the past few years, I have used a few different personality tests that have enabled me to know myself better. You might want to check out some of them too.

Clifton Strengths: This assessment helps you discover what you naturally do best and how to develop your greatest talents into strengths.

Myers-Briggs: This well-known personality theory purports that much of our behavior that appears random actually is consistent according to the way we all prefer to use our perception and judgment. The actual Myers-Briggs test requires a fee. But here’s a site where you can take a similar test for free.

Enneagram: The Enneagram is an ancient personality typing system which can help you understand how you are wired and strengthen your relationship with God. Some of the helpful books I’ve read on the Enneagram include The Road Back to You, The Sacred Enneagram, and The Essential Enneagram.

Tendency: One of my favorite secular authors, Gretchen Rubin, has developed a system of how people respond to expectations called the Four Tendencies. Finding your tendency can help you understand why you might have trouble meeting deadlines or completing your own goals. This information will aid you in finding strategies to improve. You can take a quiz to find your tendency.

You can listen to your life by embracing how God has made you and not wishing that He had crafted you differently. In His infinite love and wisdom, He created you in a very particular way to serve with unique gifts and capabilities.

Principle #3: Listen to Your Life by Knowing Your Identity

In addition to listening to our lives to find out exactly who we are and where our unique gifts fit into the world, we need to remember to whom we belong.

Palmer writes,

The ancient human question, “Who am I?” leads inevitably to the equally important question “Whose am I?”–for there is no selfhood outside of relationship. (p. 17)

For those who believe in Jesus, the answer to “Whose am I?” is: God’s You belong to God.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us of this:

Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are Mine. (Isaiah 43:1 ESV)

Why is this important? God continually whispers: I formed you with purpose. I redeemed you because I love you. I called you by name because I want a personal relationship with you.

But if we don’t tune our ears to our Father’s voice whispering, “You are mine,” we will be more likely to listen to the other voices in our heads that say: You aren’t good enough. You can never measure up.

When we listen to God’s voice and remember to whom we belong, we are less likely to get stuck on the treadmill of activity trying to get ahead of others. We can do the work God has given us, secure in His love.

Listen

Listen to your life: What is life-giving? What is life draining?

Listen to who you are: Consider taking a personality test or two to discover more about how God put you together. Embrace how God created you instead of wishing to be someone else.

Listen to whose you are: Listen to God who whispers, “You are Mine.” Turn down the volume of the voices that say you don’t belong. Rest in your identity as God’s beloved.

The post 3 Ways to Listen to Your Life appeared first on Sharla Fritz.

Sometimes I struggle with prayer. How to pray. What words to say. When to find time to pray. What do I pray when I don’t know what to pray?

Recently I discovered a short prayer that has been used for centuries. This short prayer is derived from the words of Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:47 and the tax collector in Jesus’ parable in Luke 18:13. The prayer is simply,

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of David, have mercy on me, a sinner.

This short prayer expresses the heartfelt need of God’s grace. It voices the confidence that Jesus, the Son of David and Son of God, can pour out His mercy upon us. It is a prayer to be prayed in times of great need and in small ordinary moments of the day.

I read about this prayer in several books about Christian spirituality. A couple of friends told me how praying this prayer throughout the day kept their thoughts centered on God. But I bristled against this prayer at first. Reminding myself that I am a sinner didn’t seem particularly comforting. But in breathing out this prayer I remember I can do nothing without God’s grace. Offering this petition opens my heart to receive the mercy and love I so desperately need every minute of every day. Author John Kleinig’s words in his book Grace Upon Grace makes this clear:

In our spiritual life we are much like helpless babies…Apart from Jesus, we can accomplish nothing spiritually…However, unlike babies, we do not outgrow our helplessness before God…If there is one thing we discover as we grow older and gain in experience, it is that before God we are nothing but beggars…we can only cry out to Jesus, as beggars did in the ancient world: “Lord, have mercy!” (p, 182-183)

The more I use this prayer, the more my spirit soars to the love of Christ. The more I repeat these words, the more I realize how vast God’s mercy truly is. The more I plead, “Have mercy on me” the more I realize there is nothing I can do to earn the Father’s mercy. It is all a gift. I can stop striving to get it. He longs to give it to me. I only need to open my hands to receive.

Just as we can do nothing physically without breathing, we can do nothing spiritually without Jesus. Breathe in your Savior’s name and breathe out a desperate prayer for grace. Receive what you need in the moment.

Next step: Try praying this simple prayer throughout the day. Receive God’s love and mercy. He longs to give it to you.

The post What to Pray When You Don’t Know What to Pray appeared first on Sharla Fritz.

How did you take care of yourself today? Did you care for your body? Did you care for your soul?

How did you care for your body? Did you eat yogurt and fruit for breakfast for the probiotics and antioxidants? Did you run a couple of miles to keep your heart in shape? Did you get seven or more hours of sleep? Maybe you did all of those things (or something like them) to take care of your body.

But how did you care for your soul? Maybe you didn’t even think about that part of you. After all, our stomachs growl when they’re hungry, our eyelids droop when we’re tired, our muscles get stiff if we sit too long. Our bodies demand attention.

But the soul? The soul keeps quiet. It doesn’t scream in pain or announce a problem with a 102 degree fever. We may neglect the soul for a long time before it demands attention.

So why should you care for your soul?

I can think of four reasons:

1. Your soul is the most important part of you. John Ortberg, author of Soul Keeping, writes, “The soul is the coolest, eeriest, most mysterious, evocative, sacred, eternal, life-directing, fragile, indestructible, controversial, expensive dimension of your existence.” Jesus pointed out to His disciples that the soul is important when He said, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Nothing in the world is more important than my soul. Yet how often I neglect this crucial part of me.
   
2. Your soul is the part of you that is eternal. A good haircut lasts about a month. A fashionable new outfit stays stylish for about a year. But your soul lasts forever. God created this part of you to be with Him now and in heaven. Caring for the soul will reap eternal benefits.
3. The state of your soul affects the rest of your life. My soul may not announce it needs care, but when it’s tired I feel pulled apart inside. I may be able to paste a smile on my face, but inside I’m dying. I may be able to carry on a conversation, but I’m not really listening. I may go to church and mumble through the songs, but my heart is far from worship. Life loses joy and meaning when my soul is worn. I’m not able to live life well.
4. A healthy soul will enable you to love and serve the people in your life. When our souls are weak, we crave attention. We may become self-centered, even self-obsessed. But when we spend time with the Savior and allow Him to fill our souls with His love, we are then able to look beyond our own needs and care for others.

Don’t neglect your soul. Care for it by spending time with the One who loves you. Sit in silence. Read God’s Word. Listen for His voice. Ask Him to care for the most important, most fragile, most indestructible part of you.

Next step: Read Psalm 23. Let the words sink into your heart. As you read and pray, visualize the green pastures and the Shepherd who promises to restore your soul.

 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
³     He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.

For more information on caring for your soul, check out my new book Soul Spa: 40 Days of Spiritual Renewal. This Bible study devotional teaches you how to find rest for your weary spirit. Come to the Soul Spa where spiritual practices refresh you, where God is eager to meet with you and care for your spirit. Using spa analogies, this resource guides the reader to engage in the holy habits such as Bible study, Scripture meditation, sacred reading, prayer, and more! Check it out here.

The post 4 Reasons To Care For Your Soul appeared first on Sharla Fritz.

This post is part 4 in my series on 7 Habits that Promote Soul Rest. Click to read Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3.

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

The first time I read Paul’s command in 1 Thessalonians I was incredulous.

I mean, how could you possible pray all the time? Life demands things like paying attention in a class or writing a detailed report for work. If you have little ones running around you need to make sure that they don’t empty the garbage can all over the floor or feed the dog chocolate. How can you be on your knees and still do the everyday stuff of life?

Paul’s words not only inspired skepticism. It also produced…guilt. Just reading the command made me all too aware of my mediocre prayer life–often lacking in frequency and length. (Which is another way of saying, I’m lucky if I get in five minutes of concentrated prayer daily.)

But I know prayer brings rest for my soul and peace for my spirit. In another one of Paul’s letters he wrote:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

So how can we learn to pray without ceasing and find soul rest?

I realized that when Paul wrote that command in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 he didn’t mean I had to stay on my knees with my eyes closed and my hands folded all day. Praying without ceasing becomes possible when I pray short prayers throughout the day. 

Here are three ways I use short prayers to connect with God:

Turn every worry into a prayer. One day I decided to take these words of Paul literally. I realized that when I’m worried about something, I don’t think about it once in the morning and once again at night. It is on my mind constantly. The concern pops into my brain while I’m driving my car or having a conversation with a friend. So what if I turned every one of my worrisome thoughts into a prayer? 

I would be praying without ceasing.

Pray short prayers of thanks. My worries became the catalyst for my first experience with short prayers. But soon I began to add short prayers of thanksgiving to my repertoire of short prayers. When I saw a beautiful sunset, tasted an exquisite strawberry, or heard the sweet song of a bird, I whispered a quick prayer of gratitude to my awesome Creator. When I found my lost keys or got a string of green lights on my way to an appointment, I said, “Thank You, God.”

Use Scripture prayers. Recently I’ve begun another way to use short prayers throughout the day. I choose a short prayer from Scripture that I whisper back to God whenever the Holy Spirit prompts me. The first prayer I used like this is called the Jesus prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.” At first, I felt uncomfortable with this prayer. I didn’t like reminding myself that I am a sinner, but every time I spoke this petition, I felt peace. I knew God answered my prayer with His grace. I felt soul rest because that prayer reminded me how much I need my Father and how little my own efforts mattered in the grand scheme of eternity.

Here are a few more short prayers from Scripture that you can use:

Not my will, but Yours be done. Luke 22:42

Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on You. 2 Chronicles 14:11

Show the wonder of Your great love. Psalm 17:7

We find soul rest in perpetual prayer because each whispered word of petition or thanksgiving connects us to Jesus–the Giver of rest, peace, and soul stillness.

Each whispered word of petition or thanksgiving connects us to Jesus--the Giver of soul stillness.
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Next step: Choose a short Scripture to pray throughout the day. Click to get a free resource of 15 more short Scripture prayers. Write the prayer on a card to carry with you. As you pray this prayer in small moments of your busy day, it will become a habit. And this habit will draw you closer to God–the Provider of soul rest.

And if you’d like to learn more about soul rest, check out my video course, Discover Soul Rest. Through 10 video lessons, 10 interactive worksheets, and 25+ soul rest practices, you’ll learn about God’s definition of rest and how you can find this kind of peace an wholeness for your own life. Click the link below and scroll through the page to learn about this helpful course.

The post 7 Habits That Promote Soul Rest: Perpetual Prayer appeared first on Sharla Fritz.