I hope everyone had a beautiful Easter weekend (regardless of the weather). With Lucas off of work, we had a much needed week together as a family. We took the week to go back to Ohio to visit some of our family, and it was an awesome visit.
But with the week full of visiting and traveling and Easter activities (and a little shopping), I had very little time to spend one-on-one with God. I was able to spend a few minutes at a time in prayer throughout each day, but it was not enough to feel satisfied. I was missing the quiet time that I usually spend just talking and listening and waiting. And by Friday morning it was wearing on me. I just felt so drained, and I could feel myself starting to get a little edgy. I was distracted at times because I just wanted to find a way to slip away for an hour. It has just become such a part of my day - a part I look forward to so much, and depend on for my stability - that I felt incomplete without it. So while I loved visiting, I was relieved to get home Saturday evening and have time to unwind, relax, and finally have that quiet time I had been longing for.
Each day that I walk with God I see more clearly that He truly is vital to me. I cannot live without Him. In the book of John Jesus says "I am the vine and you are the branches" (John 15:5). He goes on to say "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up." Think of that for a minute. Think of what happens to a branch when it has been removed from its tree. It lays on the ground, alone and detached, and it begins to wither and die. Every day spent apart from Jesus, we wither just a bit more. Too many days without Him, and we dry up completely. This is why we feel lost, frustrated, exhausted, edgy, desperate. These feelings do not come from Him, and they are a sure sign that we need to get up and cling to the vine we've fallen away from.
This weekend was an effective reminder for me of just how true this really is. It's really not enough to visit God in church on Sunday (or maybe just on major holidays like the one we just celebrated). To truly sustain the abundance of life that He offers, we must abide in Him, the way a branch abides on the vine. A branch just stays and draws its life and energy from its vine. This is God's design for our lives. This is why Jesus died - to give us life (John 10:10 - 'I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows').
From the bottom of my heart, this is my wish for you. I wish for you to take FULL advantage of all that Jesus is offering. He has already done the work. He has already made this fulness of life available to you. All you have to do is grab ahold of the Vine and stay. All He wants is for you to willingly offer your heart, and in return you will recieve so much more than you ever could have imagined.
If I can help you in any way, please don't hesitate to contact me (r_walker78 (at) hotmail.com - replace (at) with @ and remove spaces)
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