THIS day, THIS ______ : a back-story

exhausted woman

In my last post (This Day, This Word), I shared how the Lord broke through my self-pity in a very concrete, but affectionate way...with just one word. Well, there's a back-story to that loving deliverance of His.  Let me tell you about it.

Shortly before my "done, depleted day," my sweet friend Kitty and I had gotten together.  We talked about many things, but one subject we often go back to is "writing."

Kitty "has a book in her," so to speak, but it just doesn't seem to be God's timing yet for that book to come forth.  So as all writers know and advise, Kitty just needs to write something...anything...every day, if possible.

But it's so easy to struggle with expectations we, and others, place upon ourselves, isn't it? And it can be overwhelming...and crushing...even paralyzing...for poor Kitty (and for you and me, if we are honest)!

burned out

So as our conversation progressed that day, the Lord reminded me of a "mantra" I had adopted for my own life:

THIS day...THIS bread.

It was based on the verse from the Lord's prayer: "Give us THIS day our daily bread." The key word there had been "this."

After sharing with Kitty this background to my "mantra," I said,

Kitty

Kitty, How about if you just say each day, "THIS day, THISword?" And then maybe the next day might be, "THIS day, THISphrase"... then maybe, "THIS day, THISsentence." Your key word is THIS!THIS "whatever God may give you that day!"

In her email on that infamous "burn-out" morning of mine a couple weeks later, Kitty unknowingly wrote this encouragement to my exhausted heart:

Jan, I keep sharing your THIS advice with friends... Kitty, take THIS,...THIS... THIS DAY THIS _________ THIS sentence THIS paragraph THIS CHAPTER THIS WORD WORD ONE WORD WORDS

There it was, this day, this word...the Lord had given me just what I had needed for my day!

Dear friend, what is it that you need for your today, this day?  Cry out to the Lord and receive from Him this day, this "whatever HE has to give to you."

Your Abba is very fond of you! He will respond in His love...

THIS day with THIS whatever you really need!  Amen!

daily bread

PS To read the entire original series, click here:

This Day, This Bread

This Day, Today

This Day, This Bread...Today

This Day, This LORD!

Thanks for grace in joining me here. By the way, you can subscribe by entering your email to the right. I would be honored!

This Day, This Word

I'm going to be gut-level honest...I'm blah, feeling bruised and beaten, blank, done... I know it won't last forever...it never does.  But despite all the good things in my life, I'm low.

I'm depleted of energy after teaching 3 days in a row.  I'm facing long and arduous delay after delay in the publication of my Bible study book. I can't even "hire" an agent because I don't have a big enough "platform" (a.k.a. "following). And I've "failed" in a message that should have been an easy success (at least, from my feeble and presumptious viewpoint).

I know this is self-pity to the hilt! Did you see all the "I's"? But to tell you the truth, I don't feel guilty, because I know my Abba still loves me! Yes, even in the midst of my self-pity! In fact, "My Abba is very fond of me" as Brennan Manning used to say.

Can you identify, dear friend?  And do you know that very same truth...your Abba still loves you, even your self-pitying you! He is very fond of you too, so much so that He will meet you in all the mess!

He met me in the midst of my mess the other day...with just a word! Can I tell you about it?

As I was emotionally "crashing and burning" from all of the above listed stresses (and some), I cried out to the Lord,

Jesus, give me something...just a word...please!

Immediately, the words all, every, fullness came into my mind.  I knew them to be key words in my favorite letter of the apostle Paul's, the letter to the Colossians.  As my eyes began to take this beautiful Christ-exalting book of Scripture in, the Holy Spirit "highlighted" a word in chapter 1, verse 17:

...in Him, all things hold together!

Wow! He holds it all!

HOLDS was my word that day.

I sensed that He was saying that all the things in my life that seem to be totally out of control are NOT! Why? Because HE holds them all together!

Then He brought to mind another verse from my other favorite Bible book:

He holds all things by His powerful word! Hebrews 1:3

There it was again...holds.

HE holds it all!

I don't have to do the holding, the struggling, the striving to figure out the why's and wherefore's!  What freedom!

So I embraced my word that day, and walked it out in peace.

What are your struggles, your frustrations, your blankness and doneness?  No matter what it may be or how much self-pity you are wallowing in, cry out to the Lord! Ask Him for a WORD...just one.

He loves you...even your self-pitying, struggling you.  Your Abba is very fond of you.

Then your new "mantra" can be...

This day, this WORD!

May it be so for each of us, O our loving Abba Father! Amen!

PS I'll even let you borrow my word hold and my beloved Colossians to get you started.  Just listen for Him and His speaking voice in the depths of your soul as you wait to receive from HIM!