With Him: Learning to abide even when I wander

I’m a little late posting this week’s blog… but honestly, I knew that might happen even before the week started. The Lord has called this season of my life abiding. Not teaching it. Not mastering it. Learning it.

And that’s really what our new series, With Him, is about,  learning how to abide with Jesus in the daily, ordinary moments of life. Which, by the way… I’m not very good at yet. But I’m learning. And as I learn, I want to share it with you—both what I’m learning now and what I didn’t quite learn the first time around. If you know me, you know I have a tendency to wander.That’s something the Lord has gently shown me. 

Because of that, abiding for me requires an extra step. I have to be very intentional—very mindful—and ask myself a simple question throughout the day:

Where am I?

Am I abiding…or am I wandering off, doing what seems right in my own eyes? Because every time I choose the latter, I end up right back where I started. You know that feeling…like you’re going around the same mountain over and over again, not really moving forward.That quiet thought of, “I’ve been here before… I hope I finally learn what I’m supposed to learn this time.”

Learning to abide isn’t random. It’s not a feeling we stumble into or a thought we occasionally have. It’s a decision. Abiding is something we choose, and it’s also a place we choose to remain. It’s the place where we decide to live our lives with the Lord. And like anything we live in, it requires daily attention. But before we can live there… we have to choose it.

The first time I really understood abiding this way was through reading Joy Dawson’s books. She made a decision that she would never speak or teach unless the Lord gave her the words. And I remember thinking, I don’t know if I have that kind of faith. Can you imagine standing in front of a room full of people, hundreds of them, waiting… and choosing not to speak until the Lord leads? Just standing there, praying… waiting… trusting… and being okay with that. Her journey looks different from mine and yours will too. But it made me ask a question:

What is one area of my life where I haven’t fully invited Jesus in?

And if you’re not sure what that is for you… just ask Him. He will show you. When I asked, He showed me something I didn’t expect. Writing. Something I do for hours every day… and yet, I wasn’t fully inviting Him into it. 

So then came the real question:

Do I trust Him enough to guide my writing all the time… not just some of the time?

Am I willing to be late on a deadline to make sure the words are coming from Him…or am I more concerned with the timeline I created? Abiding means I’m willing to wait. But before I can wait… I have to choose to invite Him in from the very beginning.

It reminds me of Proverbs:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

But we often forget what comes right after:

Do not be wise in your own eyes.

Because I could easily take one of the hundred ideas I already have, polish it up, post it on time, and move on. It would be efficient. It would look responsible. It would meet the deadline. But it would also be me being wise in my own eyes. And more than that—it would reveal that I’m not abiding. Because I didn’t invite Him… and I didn’t wait for Him.

So how do we actually get to this place of being with Him—of truly abiding? We don’t start with abiding. We start with knowing Him. Who is this God we say we serve? And how do we come to know Him? 

Through His Word. Through stories and testimonies of what He’s done. Through seeing how He loves us, how He sees us, and how deeply He desires to be with us. And as we begin to know Him… we begin to love Him. And as our love grows… so does our trust. Because the truth is, we only really trust those we’ve come to love. And as we love and trust Him, obedience begins to follow. And obedience leads us into abiding. And abiding produces fruit. And that fruit reflects Him and glorifies Him with our lives. But it all begins with knowing Him.

Abiding, being with Him; is really about awareness. It’s simply recognizing where you are in relationship to where Jesus is. And then choosing to turn toward Him. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as:

“Jesus, I want to hold Your hand.”

Or slowing down long enough to sit with a cup of tea and say,“I’m going to be with You right here, right now.”

Or pausing before you begin something and asking,“Lord, what do You say about this?”

Sometimes, for me, it’s even just asking,“Lord… where are You?”so I can reconnect again.

And the beautiful part is, you can do this anywhere. While writing. While doing laundry.In the middle of your day. Abiding is simply choosing Him in the moment.Slowing down enough to be aware… and intentionally inviting Him in. So how do we begin? 

We begin by knowing Him.

If you visit the website, you’ll see a new section called Knowing Him, along with Meet with Him and Growing with Him.

The Knowing Him section is a starting place. It’s simple. It’s gentle. It’s designed to help you learn who Jesus is. You’ll find Scripture, guided readings, and tools to help you see the heart of the Father, the One who sees you, knows you, and has a plan for your life.

There’s even a Scripture index, so if you’re struggling with fear or anxiety, you can go directly to the truth about who He is in the middle of it. Because before we can feel secure abiding with Him… we have to know Him. And as you begin to know Him, something beautiful happens. You begin to fall in love with Him. You begin to see how He sees you. And from that love… trust grows. And from that trust… obedience becomes a desire, not a burden. And that obedience leads you into abiding. And abiding leads to a life that bears fruit.

But the journey doesn’t start there. It starts with simply… knowing Him.

And over the next few weeks, we’re going to walk through this together, step by step, as we move through With Him and discover just how incredible God is… the One who is inviting us to be with Him.

Before you move on with your day, I want to invite you into something simple.

Take just a moment…Pause. Breathe.

And ask yourself:

Where am I right now?

Am I aware of Him…or have I wandered without even realizing it? Then gently turn your heart back to Him. You don’t need the perfect words.You don’t need a long prayer.

Just begin with something small:

“Jesus, I want to be with You.”

And if you’re not sure where to start, come visit the Knowing Him section on the website. It was created to help you take that first step, slowly, simply, and without pressure.

We’re not rushing this.

We’re learning… together.

With Him, always

Maria