Lazy Days

By Heather Hart

I had a lazy day earlier this month. I spent all day in my pajamas. And. It. Was. Awesome.

I did a little bit of work in the morning. Then I snuggled with my daughter on the couch for a bit, before settling in to watch a show on Netflix that I like, but hadn’t had a chance to see for over a month. It was great.

I’m constantly feeling stressed out about how much I have to do and how far behind I am. So just taking a day off and staying in my pajamas was super relaxing and I really enjoyed it. So come the next day I really wanted to do it again.

My pajamas were so comfy. The show was really intriguing. But I knew it wasn’t practical. I needed to get some work done in the morning and promised my kids that I would take them to the pool that afternoon. So begrudgingly got in the shower… And. It. Felt. Great.

As fun as it was to spend a day being lazy, getting clean was an even better feeling. The whole situation reminded me of our spiritual state. Satan can make anything look good, he can tempt us to stay comfortable, but coming back to Jesus, being washed by the blood of Christ, is so much better.

Why is it that that is such a hard lesson for us to learn?

Or at least to remember?

I don’t know about you, but when I pour my heart out to Jesus, really take my cares to Him, I feel so much relief. It’s like a huge burden is lifted. I feel it in my bones.

Proverbs 3:7-8 says, “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” (ESV)

That’s what turning to Jesus does. It heals us from the inside out. It brings a joy that is more refreshing than a cool drink on a hot day.

Yet too often, like that cool drink on a hot day, we forget. We are refreshed and then we move on. Or at least I do…

On my pajama day I was also putting off a conversation with God I knew I needed to have. I was scared of what it might reveal. I knew God was waiting to give me refreshment deep in my bones, but I was afraid of walking through desert to get there. Because sometimes refreshment doesn’t come easy.

We have to go and get it. Sometimes we have to work for it. We know the outcome will be worth it, but that doesn’t make wrestling with our sinfulness any easier.

Just as getting in that shower didn’t sound appealing when I was in my pajamas, allowing God to refine our hearts doesn’t always sound pleasant either. But getting out of our comfort zone is essential to our faith. We have to trust Jesus more than we trust our circumstances.

Wherever today finds you, I encourage you to have those hard talks with Jesus. Ask Him to search your heart and refine you. To make you clean. You won’t regret it.

Heather Hart is an internationally best-selling and award-winning author who has an unquenchable passion for Jesus. She knows that the one thing every girl needs is a little honesty, so she’s not afraid to get candid and share her struggles. Her hope is that, through writing, she can help others soak up the love of Jesus. You can find out more about Heather by visiting her at BooksFaithandCoffee.

Proverbs 27:17 says “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (ESV), Christian women do that for one another. 

When we share our faith and life with one another, when we aren’t afraid to get real, that’s when God uses us the most. And that’s why we created CandidlyChristian. Click here to find out more about our ministry.

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