Oh friend,

How I have a long running history of doing my life for God and not with God. I love a good task list and checking things off is so much easier than waiting around and wondering and exercising faith. God, just tell me what to do and I”ll do it. Just writing this out sounds excruciatingly rigid. I don’t like the sound of it…how must this come across to Him? 

God wants to do life with us. And this isn’t us submitting our plans to Him as it is Him inviting us into His plan for us.He already has a plan for this day. It’s scripted, created, mastered beautifully with us in mind. His Spirit will guide us. Bring us along. Point out beauty. Point out brokenness. Invite us to have faith. Doing life with God means we’re not alone. Never alone. If you’ll just look to your right or left, you will find Him. Tell Him, I want to do life with You as I read this note and then after that. I want to do that too. 

The with God life makes it easier when we mess up because He’s right there and it is easier to make things right when He’s right there. I’m more quick to experience conviction. More quick to repent. This leads to more joy in my day and more peace and what feels like, more time. 

So how do we keep from living for God and instead live with God? See God as He truly longs to be with you. See God as near. See God as having a better plan for your life than what can be contained to a to-do list. Keep surrendering your plans. Keep your hands open to His will. Keep praying and listening. And when you find yourself churning, striving, stressing, overthinking, second-guessing, that’s the red flag of caution being waved. 

Pause. 

Exchange the for God life for the with God life. In that moment, things will shift. If not outside of you, inside of you. And that, my friend, is what we get with Him.

Shauna