Hi friends!
I’m so thankful for the opportunity to get to hang out with y’all on the blog!
You may remember my social media posts back in November when we were journeying together to find the joy in everyday life through the #findthejoytoday movement! Speaking of that, how’s that going for you? Are you still striving to find the joy on a daily basis, even if all of your feelings/emotions convince you there are some days that just don’t contain any joy? I promise you, there’s something joy-filled in every single day...let’s keep looking for it together! Deal?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in continual processing mode all month long. That seems to be pretty common at the beginning of a new year as we anticipate what this year will hold, in comparison to what last year or the years before that held for us, and setting goals for personal growth the months to come.
Last year was one for the books, as I finished my year long journey in a Christian residential treatment center. However, It wasn’t just treatment. It marked the beginning of a life transforming relationship with Jesus that radically rocked my world and showed me what life with Him looks like. It wasn’t easy by any means, but to be equipped to continue walking out my freedom and healing on a daily basis made it all worth it.
All month long, I’ve noticed the theme of prayer popping up every which direction I turn. It’s almost like the Lord was setting a challenge before me to turn my prayer life up a few notches.
In taking an honest evaluation of that area of my life, I realized how little of time I was spending in prayer. It seemed to be like my times of prayer was me advising God, directing God, making suggestions to God...ya know how we do sometimes. However, there was very little time spent just hanging out in His presence and adoring Him and not just throwing my requests at Him.
Don’t get me wrong. He is ok with us presenting our requests to Him, but for me that’s what my prayer times became about....constantly asking and rarely thanking. Talk about a heart check!
So, in that, He’s challenged me to set aside a certain amount of time every single day aside to just abide in Him and converse with Him like I would a friend.
He longs to be in communication with us.
We’re His children and He’s head over heels in love with His kiddos. His heart swells with pride and increased love when we choose to boldly enter the throne room and sit at His feet without an agenda. Just unrestrained time between a Father and His child. Wow.
I’m leaving you with a challenge to simply spend some time hanging out with Jesus in prayer. Maybe that’s something you already do. Awesome. Perhaps you can add in an additional time of prayer today where you focus more on listening to Him speak to you rather than you solely doing the talking.
Or maybe you’re on the other end of the spectrum and you haven’t stopped and prayed for months. It’s ok if that’s where you’re at, but He’s longing to hear from you. There’s so much grace being lavished on you and He’s extending a listening ear and warm heart. ️
I’m praying for you, sweet friends! We’re all on this journey together!
See you again soon!
Love,
Taryn
Insta: @taryn.it.upppp
P.S. The breathtaking view in this picture came about as I took some time one morning this month to just be still and pray as the sun was rising over the mountains. It was almost like He was saying “hey, thanks for hanging out with me this morning. Here’s this for you to enjoy while we spend time together.”
How cool is He?!
// About Taryn
I’m an almost thirty year old gal who has experienced the radical transformation that only Jesus and His love can bring about. Although originally from Ohio, I now live in southern Tennessee and have added the phrase ya’ll to my every day vocabulary. ⠀
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You can usually catch me singing along to most any song that comes on, sipping a chai tea latte at a local coffee shop, or enjoying time outdoors which is where I connect with God the most!