Finding Abundant Life in the Everyday
Do you ever struggle to find joy and abundant Life in the everyday? Me too. We know we have Christ’s Life within us, but recognizing how this practically helps us is sometimes difficult. We forget very easily and move on through our day operating according to whatever we use to survive.
For each of the next 10 days, we will have a little reminder and food for thought and prayer, gently pushing you to recognize how Jesus’ Life is enough for the specific situation and circumstance of the day.
This is not a challenge to condemn you as you fail to meet the criteria, but is instead a tool to help you remember the One who leads you forward and meets your needs. I believe we already have all of Jesus’ Life, so we don’t need to get more of it. We simply need to recognize how His Life meets us in the everyday. So glad to have you on this journey! I'm looking forward to walking through this with you. Please feel free to email me and introduce yourself!
Day 1: Comparison
Good morning! Welcome to the first day of Finding Abundant Life in the Everyday! I am so excited you are here and we are walking together on this journey. I hope this course will help you to take whatever the circumstances (hard, good or mundane) to push you to Jesus and know Him in them.
Today I want to start by focusing on comparison. Do you compare yourself to others and feel like you lack everything they have? Are there relationships you look at and wish they were yours? Is someone doing the thing you wished you could do while you were passed over? Is jealousy stirring its angry hand in your heart today?
We all get there. I sometimes wake up with the desire to stay away from comparison and focus on the abundant Life I have, only to realize within minutes I am staring at a Facebook post, a pretty person in a car or the neighbor down the street while wishing I had what they have and using them as a standard of comparing my life. I am not being realistic, for I don’t know the reality of their struggles, their stories or their current circumstances but I still compare against the fantasy.
Today, when we find ourselves comparing or growing jealousy for someone else or their possessions, we will call it what it is—fantasy land! We will pray for the person we are comparing to with the realization that we can’t love them well when we are comparing our lives to them. And we will put our eyes back on Jesus, seeing that He brings exactly what we need for our individual lives. We thank Him for this, and move forward with joy in seeing the provision for today as He is enough to move our focus back to Him. Instead of comparison, we will see how God loves us right where we are, not when we reach a certain goal or look a certain way. Let’s celebrate that!
Practical Outworking: Think of someone with whom you struggle with comparing your life and pray for an opportunity to love them. Come back to who you are in Christ, seeing the joy in not having to try to be anyone else.
I'm cheering for you!
Love,
Hannah
Day 2: Feeling Stuck
Hello! Welcome to Day 2! Today is a new day to find joy and recognize God’s incredible love in your life. What about in feeling stuck? Do you feel as though you can’t move forward in life? Is it your job, your mate, your kids, your health or something else that seems to keep you from having any traction? Are you fantasizing about another life which you’d maybe have had if you made different decisions leading up to the present?
Oh man, believe me, I can feel this way. I want to get moving, but feel like my wheels are just spinning out in the mud. I focus so much on where I want to be or think I should be with things, I miss out on all that’s happening right now around me. I know that I must move into trusting that God will open up the way ahead in His time and His way. He says He is faithful to complete the good work in me. Sometimes, His priorities and goals are different than mine, and I get to learn to be ok with that. Because He loves me enough to keep me moving in a direction that perhaps I don’t like very much, but also provides all I need to do so.
Today, if you feel stuck and without traction, will you choose to come back to the love of your Father who has your best in mind, trusting Him with the moves ahead? And will you focus on finding joy in your moment right now, in whatever small ways He has brought? We must entrust our goals and desires to Him, knowing He will bring all to pass that is best for us.
Practical Outworking: When your blood pressure starts to go up because you are thinking about all the ways you are stuck, walk away from the thought in your head and move back to the truth. You are safe, you are loved and you are going to move forward—even if it isn’t at the pace you’d like. Thank God for something today and pray for someone else. Don’t let your mind move into regret and the poison that lives there.
If you feel stuck, will you let me pray for you? Shoot me an email tell me about it. It is an incredible honor to be able to pray for you.
Love,
Hannah
Read more on this topic in my blog post When You Feel Stuck.
Day 3: Failure
It's Day 3! How’s it going? I hope these little reminders help you to turn to Jesus during your day and keep Him as your source. And when you forget, you come running back as soon as you realize it because you see the sweetness with Him.
Failure can be a show-stopper when it comes to abiding. We messed something up and now we feel we are out. Or that we at least need to work really hard to get back “in” wherever that is. The truth is you haven’t failed out, even if your mess-up was severe. If any sin could stop you from being in Christ, His death and resurrection would not live up to what He claimed. In His Life, you are more than conquerors—even you don’t feel like it.
Several years ago when my son was very small, I was taking him to the park and trying to get the stroller out of the trunk. When I finally hauled the stroller out, a water gun flew out at the same time and nailed my toe. I kept the choice words that instantly came to my head inside, but I picked up the water gun and threw it into the trunk as hard as I could, taking out my anger and pain on the poor toy. Then, I turned and loaded my kids into the stroller to go to the park. While walking, my little son turned to me and asked, “Mom, were you going to say sorry for throwing the water gun?” And it made me want to crawl into a hole and never come out. What a great example for a little person! Right? Instead of hiding, though, I told him that I was sorry and came back to Jesus with the recognition again that my flesh is a big mess and I need His Life to even get a stroller out of the car.
Practical Outworking: Don’t let failure debilitate you today. Move back to the truth. Whatever way you messed up, remind yourself that Jesus never expected you to be perfect in your flesh. In fact, He expected you to fail in your own strength! So, admit where you are and come back to Him and you will have all you need to do today.
Cheers to failure not holding control over our lives!
Love,
Hannah
Read more on failure in my blog posts Failure and Failing Out.
Day 4: Forgetfulness
Welcome to Day 4! Sometimes our own forgetfulness is the thing that derails us. We realize we have spent days, weeks or months with no thought of Jesus or any fellowship with Him. Ann Voskamp calls it “soul amnesia” as we forget what our soul needs. We struggle, get frustrated and lash out all while forgetting to come back to the place we can get what we need. Instead, we try harder, work more or try to find a different answer.
We forget to remember. And God isn’t surprised by this. I find it interesting that Jesus compares us to sheep. We need a Shepherd to get anywhere without falling off a cliff. We aren’t supposed to do the Christian life by having enough “oomph” from our own strength. Instead, we are supposed to celebrate our weakness as it allows Christ to be strong.
Practical Outworking: I have heard the term "anchor" used many times recently to mean a physical representation that brings you back to something you are trying to remember. Like tying a string to your finger so you don’t forget a task (or that’s what the cartoons did in the movies from my childhood). My anchors might seem ridiculous to other people but they are things like getting stuck on something or tripping (that happens to me a lot because I am a bit clumsy), or seeing a flower, or my eye twitching from stress. These are all physical reminders to me that I need to be coming to Jesus for each detail of my life rather than trying to sort it out on my own. What are your anchors? What behaviors, physical representations or words remind you to come back to the truth?
Love,
Hannah
Read more about being kind to yourself in forgetfulness and the Good Shepherd in my blog posts The Faithful One and Choosing to Remember the Truth That Sets Us Free.
Day 5: Past Hurts
It’s Day 5! Do you ever dwell on your past hurts, believing that these define you and immobilize you today? I talk to people often with pain in their past that feels like a gut punch to me just in hearing about it. We grow up with an identity formed from all these past hurts, and it’s often pretty bad. You feel unworthy, unloved, unacceptable, and like you just can’t get it right no matter how hard you try. And then you live out of those hurts, allowing the people who have hurt you to dictate your life forever.
I really doubt you want a crazy person defining you, and yet you are allowing people who failed you incredibly and caused you pain to do so. No human can give us an identity, and if they try, it is a really bad one. Only God can tell us who we are and how He sees us. And in Him, everything that’s true about Him is true about us. So, we are loved, acceptable, worthy, treasured and have met the standard in Christ. Don’t let the hurts of your past determine your present and future.
Practical outworking: In soaking in the truth of who you are in Christ, you change your perspective on the hurts of your past and those who hurt you. They no longer dictate your life. When you feel your past hurts rise up to beat on you some more, move back to the truth of the death of that old identity and rebirth of the new one—which is Christ in you the hope of glory.
Rejoicing with you in your freedom from that old identity!
Love,
Hannah
I have a little book I wrote for those struggling with negative identity messages called Identity: Truth vs. Lie; Short Simple Reminders of Who You Are in Christ. If that’s you, check it out here.
Day 6: Obsession
Hi and welcome to Day 6!
What did you wake up obsessing on today? Especially if you tend towards being a thinker by personality, you might struggle to move your brain from the things you obsess on and remind yourself of the very real presence of lying thoughts. Every thought that buzzes through your head is not truth, but often we let them go on unchecked without ever a consideration that the thought could be a lie. We are often unconscious of what we are thinking about.
We also make a lot of assumptions about what other people are thinking and obsess on that. Of course, making assumptions does nothing good for us, and we are again stuck in lies which are posing as truth. Or maybe you have some blatant rejection in your life that’s not an assumption. Obsessing on the rejection and all you would say to the person is not going to solve the problem either. Instead, it becomes even more built up in your head and you start to become the very thing you hate.
Practical Outworking: I really like to use emotion as a red flag for the thought. What I feel reminds me that I’m obsessing on something I shouldn’t be and that isn’t good for me. I know that when I feel certain things (discouragement, disillusionment, confusion, rage) these are all symptoms of my obsession on the wrong thing. Start to recognize your emotions as red flags and look at what you are pondering in that moment. Then, come back to the truth rather than letting yourself continue to dwell on the lie.
I'm excited for you to be able to move through obsession back to focusing on Jesus!
Love,
Hannah
Read more about obsession in my blog posts Freedom from Obsession and Beauty, Body Image and Physical Obsession.
Day 7: Anxiety
Do you ever feel paralyzed by anxiety? Mine usually reveals itself when I’m dealing with things with my kids. I have to drop them off at school after a lockdown the previous week for a police issue miles away, and I want to wrap them in bubble wrap and never let them out of the house. And really, it comes down to feeling like it’s up to me to be someone’s god and then realizing I make a terrible god. If it’s my responsibility to protect my children from every possible pain and hurt, I am going to feel some terrible anxiety because I realize I can’t. I have to let God be God, and rest in believing that He only allows in their lives what will draw them to Himself and He loves them more than I ever could.
This is the same with anxiety about our own lives. When we realize our lack of control, a lot of times we freak out. Any control we think we have is really an illusion. There isn’t a formula for this life. Instead, we have to trust our Father who loves us more than we could imagine (enough to send His Son to die for us to bring us to a new relationship with Him) and who will be enough for each circumstance through His Life in us. Nothing is impossible with Him. And He provides the faith for this as well! I must just choose, then His power and strength makes that choice something special. In choosing to trust Him, I can take my hands off and let go of my anxiety.
Practical Outworking: When you feel the anxiety rising up in you, take some big deep breaths and imagine yourself walking into a room with your Heavenly Father, sitting on His lap and telling Him about your worries. Remember that in your letting go of trying to control things that you can really see and know Him in these circumstances. Leave your worries and anxiety at His feet. Cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you.
Praying for freedom from anxiety for you!
Love,
Hannah
Day 8: Relationships
Are there relationships that are distracting you today? I used to think of distracting relationships as the ones where you are obsessed with some boy and can’t think of anything but him. But now, I realize that almost any relationship can be a distraction. My kids, my husband, my friends, my family. I’ve even obsessed on my interaction with complete strangers at the grocery store!
So how do you do relationship while abiding in Christ? I think relationships are actually some of God’s greatest tools to drive us back to Himself. My spouse is mad and I am beating myself up for something I said to him. I come back to Jesus and remind myself not to dwell on failure but instead to humble myself, apologize to my husband and move forward in asking Jesus’ to be my words. My kids are doing things that make me more convinced of my utter lack of knowledge in the parenting department. I have to come back to the One who knows them and loves them more than me, asking Him for the Wisdom of the Ages to parent them. My friend says something behind my back and I feel rejected and alone. I get to move forward in forgiveness (not because I feel particularly strong about it, but because Jesus in me forgives) and love my enemy with His Love.
Practical Outworking: In each relationship dilemma you face today, let it push you back to the Life of Christ and His incredible Love for you and the other person. In your lack, He is strong. Keep coming back to that. In your weakness, rejoice in His strength. You don’t need anyone to be ok, but you can enjoy others in relationship as you come to Him for your identity and security. Remind yourself of who you are in Him, and then go love someone else with the Love that comes pouring out of you as He fills you up.
Rejoicing in weakness with you!
Love,
Hannah
Read more about relationships in my blog posts Sacred in the Mundane and Living in the Tension.
Day 9: Success
Welcome to Day 9!
So we talked about failure, but what about success? Maybe you made money, gained power or aced some parenting dilemma. In your rejoicing, don’t forget gratitude for the One who made it possible. My friend and mentor Mike Wells used to say “Success or failure isn’t up to you. Don’t wear it.” Anytime you take on the success as something you did and now feel the pressure to maintain or duplicate, you are sunk. Thank God for the success and get on.
The success doesn’t make your identity any different—that is secure in Christ. You weren’t bought with a price because you succeeded at some things. The success can’t define you just as failure doesn’t. By all means, enjoy it, but put it in the proper place. Success is fun, but it isn’t mandatory. Success in the worlds’ terms is also not forever, and in the transient state, you don’t have to be on a roller coaster of being defined by it.
Practical Outworking: With success, thank God and don’t get hung up on creating your identity from it. Success doesn’t define you. Come back to God’s definition of you again, recognizing any good that comes out of your life is from Him. This shift in perspective allows you to see things not as “good” and “bad” but rather all as God’s.
The pressure's off! He's the One who succeeds through you!
Love,
Hannah
For more on success, read my blog post How Do You Measure Success.
Day 10: Knowing God
You made it!
It’s our last day of this journey, and I am hopeful these little reminders have been helpful in bringing you back to Jesus throughout the day. I hope you have found some anchors to remind you, and that you are allowing your emotions to be the red flags to lead you back to Jesus. When we are abiding, we have hope and can look to the future without fear, for we know who holds it. I hope that as you continue on this abiding journey, you know God. That’s really His priority in all of this—that you know Him. So, if you are allowing everything that comes through your life to push you to Him and knowing Him, you are right where you need to be. And if you aren’t, He is faithful to keep bringing circumstances and reminders so that you can know Him. I am so grateful for His shepherding, and that we don’t have to worry about getting it right. We just get to follow and recognize His Life in us.
I hope that these daily devotionals have pointed you to Jesus, and reminded you of the Life you have each day to manage the life around you. I hope that you have let go more of the person you think you should be in favor of recognizing who you already are in Christ. And dismissed the ideas of all you should be doing in order to allow Jesus to do through you.
Practical Outworking: Continue the journey! Let the reminders of joy keep drawing you back to your Father, getting all the strength you need for each moment from Him. You don’t have to do this life by gritting your teeth and making it through. He will be all that you need for each day.
I'd love to hear from you if this little course has been helpful in your relationship with Jesus. You can always email me. And now we press on!
Love,
Hannah
For more on remembering who you are, read my blog posts Have You Become a Lava Monster and Have You Forgotten Who You Are.