Force-feeding

As I drove to the nearby park for some quiet lunchtime reading last week…or perhaps the week before that…the radio preacher told me that if I wasn’t satisfied with my spiritual hunger pangs, I needed to force-feed my soul. That I needed to position myself around others and in situations that would grow my spirit, which would ultimately, grow my desire for more of Him.

Normally, this isn’t a preacher I listen to. In fact, when I happen to be driving during his timeslot, 99 percent of the time, I’ll turn him off. But for whatever reason, I felt I could bear his message for the five minutes it took to drive me to solitude. And for whatever reason, his challenge to me stuck. To grow my spirit, I need to spend more time in God’s presence. And if I didn’t necessarily desire to do that on my own, I needed to position myself, so I’d be forced to spend time with Him.

I couldn’t shake the thought. Wasn’t I just complaining that my life was too busy to spend time with God? Perhaps a good dose of force-feeding might help. After my “reading” time (which I spent a great deal of mulling over this new information), I drove back to school and to my reference-sized Mom planner to see where I could squeeze some force-feeding into my schedule. It told me what I already knew to be true; I really was too busy.

A few days later I was perusing Make Me a Mary’s blog when…EUREKA!!! The Bible Café for Women...an online Bible study…that…what’s this??? Was just beginning?? And heck, they were even reading a book I already owned but had become too busy to ever finish. It was perfect! I didn’t have to leave the house. I didn’t have to spend money on a resource. It was a force-feeding of convenience.

Come near to God, and He will come near to you (James 4:8). God’s faithfulness is amazing. Even in my hurried, “what could it hurt; maybe that guy’s on to something” state of mind. Even when I didn’t seek His counsel about this Bible study or pray if it was the right book for me. Even when, yet again, I thought only of myself and of my schedule. He is faithful to His word. “Come near,” He says. “If only for a few minutes. Come near. And see what I will do.”

God so desires our companionship; it’s why He created us. He wants nothing more than for us to take a step toward Him. We move; He moves. In a haphazard decision, I logged on to a Bible study of convenience. In exchange, He’s given several weeks of wonderful.

I’m really not one to issue challenges, but I’ll throw out the same one that was given to me by a preacher I don’t really even enjoy. If you find yourself parched and withered…if you find your spiritual hunger pangs aren’t as strong as they should be…position yourself for a force-feeding, and watch the wonderful unfold.

 

41. Our Growing Kids God's Way class

42. Old friends

43. Not-so-old friends

44. God's faithfulness

45. Hope

46. A chance to breathe again

47. Family

48. Season of High Holy Days

49. Good resources

50. Inspiration

51. Sleep

52. Productivity

53. Time to consider

54. Sign language

55. A new agenda

56. Renewed mercies

57. The Living Word

58. Joyce Meyer

59. Coffee

60. Sweet morning smiles