She Yearns: Habits of a Godly WomanНамуна

Do you have a friend you meet with regularly? Maybe she’s the first to hear about your challenging day and the one you share mundane and remarkable moments. Imagine your relationship with Jesus being as affectionate and familiar.

In the book of John, Jesus paints a picture of the relationship He desires with us, calling Himself the vine and us the branches. It’s an image of an intimate, life-giving connection, much like our cherished friendships. In that picture of solidarity, Jesus invites us to abide, or to live in Him. Imagine yourself sitting beside your friend, conversing as you drink your favorite coffee. Abiding is this same familiarity and nearness with Jesus as you pray, read your Bible, and listen.

Suppose you move away from your friend, or your responsibilities take more of your time, making coffee dates fall to the wayside. Soon, the closeness and fellowship give way to aloofness. This can happen in our relationship with Jesus. When life gets messy or we become overwrought with responsibilities, abiding shifts from a daily connection to a faraway thought. Such distancing won’t help your personal relationships flourish, nor will it help grow you in godliness.

How can we make abiding with Jesus a natural part of our day?

• Start the night before. Go to bed so that you can wake up refreshed. Schedule this time and set an alarm.
• Find a sustainable Bible reading plan. These plans provide structure to help you engage with Scripture consistently. Begin with sustainable goals, like thirty or sixty days until it becomes a habit, or part of the natural rhythm of your day. If you miss a day, don’t worry. Persistence, rather than perfection, wins the day.
• Identify a dedicated place to read and pray. The idea is to associate a place and time with a dedicated action, sort of like leaving keys in the same place helps us remember how to find them. It doesn’t need to be fancy. A simple, quiet spot is enough for establishing your routine of abiding.

Have you tried and failed in the past? Now is the perfect time to begin again. Dust off your reading plan, gather your Bible and a journal, and make a standing appointment with yourself and the Lord. Cultivating the habit of abiding in Christ is an essential first step toward growing in godliness.