Would I be enough for you?

My team and I got to go back to Craiova for a long weekend to help with Hope Church’s youth event on December 1st. We got to help out the church, our host, and the two teams who have been living there since we got to Romania. What we did is a whole nother blog in and of itself, but something really sweet came out of something really stupid.

In Craiova, we live at a mission house where most of the women of Z squad live in a giant room with bunk beds. So basically, there is no privacy, one bathroom for us all, and a whole lotta love. I was staying on the top bunk and had little room to put my things. When it was time to leave, I put everything into my daypack and my purse and my team headed to the train station to head back home.

When we were at the train station, I realized that I had somehow managed to leave behind my bible, my journal, and my kindle. I quickly texted one of my alumni squad leaders who just happened to be sleeping on the bunk below me to make sure that I left them. She said that they were sitting on my bed.

Well, there goes me leaving my whole life behind.

At first, I was really annoyed with myself. Thinking comments along the lines of “how could I be that dumb” and “do I ever pay close enough attention to the things around me?” (Lies straight from the enemy!) They are each big enough to notice that I didn’t have them with me, and yet, in the rush to get out the door, there they stayed.

As we were on the train, I realized that my quiet times were about to look a heck of a lot different.

Later that night, Madison and I sat down in our room to do a “view of God”. Basically it’s an exercise that helps us realize how we are viewing God and how to move forward in relationship with Him. The drawing that the Lord gave me was pretty cool and I’m gonna keep that to myself, but it helped me realize that my quiet times (and essentially my relationship with Him) were more of a checkmark goal oriented thing then a truly personal relationship with Him. I still have a personal relationship with God, but I was sitting down with my bible, journal, (and occasionally kindle) to make it look like I was spending time with God, rather then really allowing myself to be in His presence.

Without these things, I couldn’t “do” or “have” a quiet time.

The Lord quickly reminded me that I have a phone, which has a bible app, a kindle app, and a notes app. Not ideal, but at least it’s something.

As I was praying about the physical things being gone, I felt the Lord say “If you had nothing, would I be enough for you?”

Dang.

Would He?

So this week I took it upon myself to just be with God.

I humbled myself daily. I let Him come in. I let Him linger and I let Him stay. I let Him remind me who He is and not who I have tried to make him out to be. I let Him speak to me in ways that are not from the word, but from music and others. I let Him show me that He is right beside me at all times, not just when I have a bible open.

This last week reminded me that I don’t have to “do” or “have” to be with God. I don’t ever have to strive to do anything or own anything to get myself to be in His presence. He is always there.

God is so much more than the material items we claim. He is a present God who just wants to be with us!!

*** I do believe that if you own a bible, it needs to be picked up and read. Daily. As believers, we have to know the word to go out and share the word. And it’s way too easy to fall into past sin patterns and earthly habits and desires if your not rooted in the Lord. You really can’t get by if you don’t first root yourself in Christ. My advice is to watch how you are treating those times. Are you doing it because you feel you have to? To check off a box? To say that you spent time with God? Or are you doing it because you genuinely want to spend time with God and get to know Him? Are you having a quiet time because you desire God to be the Lord of your life and you want to know how to follow Him better?

The real question is, is Jesus enough for you? If everything got taken away, would Jesus be enough??