Abiding In Christ

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what makes me feel most alive. Sometimes we go days maybe weeks, feeling like life has just turned into this blur. Everything has blended together and it's hard to remember what you even ate for breakfast. I find myself feeling so drained in times like these and I look at the situation and think, "What is it that is making me feel like a zombie?". Yah maybe I wasn't eating the best, sleeping enough or working out because life has been so busy but I know it's more than that, because my spirit feels faint. I've realized that I am so tired because I'm trying to function off my own strength.

There are times we get so busy that we may feel we don't have time to spend with God or we don't give Him enough time and we just try spending time with Him while we are in the midst of doing something else, and we aren't fully focused on Him. Now I think that we should think about God in the busy times of our day and He is always there; but the Bible talks about abiding in Christ, "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." -John 15:5

When we are in a relationship with someone that means we need to spend time with them and talk to them and listen. We need to do the same with God. When we are in relationship with Him, he speaks to us, he renews our hearts and minds to be aligned with His. When we are aligned with God we naturally will start to look more like Him, radiating love, peace, joy, light, hope…all the things God is will reflect in our lives when we set aside time just with Him. In Romans Chapter 8 it says, "Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires."

When we abide in Him we feel his heartbeat, we will love what God loves, we will be angered by what angers God, we will weep over what breaks His heart. It's a beautiful thing, it is life altering and it's life giving, not only to yourself but it then pours out to the others around you.

When going on through life function on your own strength it's only a matter of time when you just can't keep doing it anymore. Washing yourself with the word of God and spending time with Him not only refreshes you but it leads to you functioning off of His strength and power and we can live life actually feeling alive in our spirit no matter the situation!

Happy Friday everyone!

-Grace xo

(This was a post I wrote for Beauty Arise, for more encouragement + stories visit beautyarise.org)

Photography by Sarah Grunder