It had been a particularly hard season. It had been a time when it felt like nothing was going right. Failure had become a close companion and would wrap his arms around me, whispering my list of faults over and over again.
I was tired. My soul was dry and thirsty. I needed relief. I needed rest.
During the month of July, I took a break from social media. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest... I walked away from it all. I needed to get away from the externals that were choking my soul like smog. I needed air.
Freedom, really. The cry of my heart has been for freedom. There were some personal issues, heart issues that needed to be healed, or the process towards healing begun.
I highly recommend this, by the way. If you are having heart issues or feeling distant, then identify what in your life is occupying your time and is not necessary.... And then walk away for a little while.
During this time I retreated deeper into His words. It was there I found Psalms 119.
Made up of 176 chapters, Psalms 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. I had read it before in one of those "read through the Bible in a year" plans. Really, it was more like skimmed over it. At first I found it boring and repetitive. After all, the author repeats "the law" over and over again.
But do you know that feeling... The feeling when maybe you read a book again after a long time or you revisit a movie you haven't seen in a long time. Or maybe you've lived in a city for years, and then one day you happen upon a new store or restaurant that suddenly becomes "your place". All of the sudden, you are seeing the world with new eyes.
It began when I decided I would try to memorize as much of Psalms 119 as possible before my 25th birthday (make that my 26th). As I began to memorize the verses, they began to soak into my mind. I found myself reflecting upon them, asking questions and learning new things.
In the movie National Treasure, the character Benjamin Gates (played by America's sweetheart Nicolas Cage), believes very deeply in the legend of a treasure that has been hidden for several centuries. He dedicates his life to the search, finding clue after clue that ultimately lead him to the treasure, but also open his heart and mind to the mysterious ways and beliefs of the men who hid the treasure.
Ultimately, the journey itself was worth almost as much as the treasure.
Digging into His Words has been a discovery of treasure... A soothing balm to open wounds and a journey deeper into His heart, His thoughts, His purposes. It is within these words that I have found life and a reawakening.
I am still on this journey.
In the coming weeks, I will be sharing what I have learned in these words, ways He has challenged me, things I never noticed before. I will be honest and gentle, a hopeful reflection of the ways He has taught me.
I am not a theologian or a seminary student. I am simply a woman seeking Him, longing to be closer, and finding my freedom within the words He breathes.
Come with me on this journey. I'll be Benjamin Gates and you can be Riley (or the dad, or Diane Kruger's character, or even Ian the villain if you wish).
I was tired. My soul was dry and thirsty. I needed relief. I needed rest.
During the month of July, I took a break from social media. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest... I walked away from it all. I needed to get away from the externals that were choking my soul like smog. I needed air.
Freedom, really. The cry of my heart has been for freedom. There were some personal issues, heart issues that needed to be healed, or the process towards healing begun.
I highly recommend this, by the way. If you are having heart issues or feeling distant, then identify what in your life is occupying your time and is not necessary.... And then walk away for a little while.
During this time I retreated deeper into His words. It was there I found Psalms 119.
Made up of 176 chapters, Psalms 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. I had read it before in one of those "read through the Bible in a year" plans. Really, it was more like skimmed over it. At first I found it boring and repetitive. After all, the author repeats "the law" over and over again.
But do you know that feeling... The feeling when maybe you read a book again after a long time or you revisit a movie you haven't seen in a long time. Or maybe you've lived in a city for years, and then one day you happen upon a new store or restaurant that suddenly becomes "your place". All of the sudden, you are seeing the world with new eyes.
It began when I decided I would try to memorize as much of Psalms 119 as possible before my 25th birthday (make that my 26th). As I began to memorize the verses, they began to soak into my mind. I found myself reflecting upon them, asking questions and learning new things.
In the movie National Treasure, the character Benjamin Gates (played by America's sweetheart Nicolas Cage), believes very deeply in the legend of a treasure that has been hidden for several centuries. He dedicates his life to the search, finding clue after clue that ultimately lead him to the treasure, but also open his heart and mind to the mysterious ways and beliefs of the men who hid the treasure.
Ultimately, the journey itself was worth almost as much as the treasure.
Digging into His Words has been a discovery of treasure... A soothing balm to open wounds and a journey deeper into His heart, His thoughts, His purposes. It is within these words that I have found life and a reawakening.
I am still on this journey.
In the coming weeks, I will be sharing what I have learned in these words, ways He has challenged me, things I never noticed before. I will be honest and gentle, a hopeful reflection of the ways He has taught me.
I am not a theologian or a seminary student. I am simply a woman seeking Him, longing to be closer, and finding my freedom within the words He breathes.
Come with me on this journey. I'll be Benjamin Gates and you can be Riley (or the dad, or Diane Kruger's character, or even Ian the villain if you wish).
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