It was morning. I sat with my Bible, a notebook, and my two favorite devotional books. My habit was to read the devotions and then read my predetermined chapters in my Bible. Like clockwork.
I am a to-do-list type of girl. I am a rule follower. An unfinished list or a broken rule can throw me into a tailspin in no time flat. It was no different when it came to my devotion time with the Lord, complete with lists and rules.
After reading the devotions, I sat quietly for a minute. I heard these words inside my spirit, “Come simply; simply come.”
The stillness had given the Lord time to gently have His say in the matter. I heard it again. “Come simply; simply come.”
Tears burned my eyes. I had made things complicated. And rigid. And boring. I imagine the Lord was as bored as I. All He wanted me to do was spend time with Him.
I laid aside my agenda and spent some time talking to the Lord. Then I listened.
I remembered the song we sang at the end of every church service when I was a child, “Just as I Am.” The last line in the song kept replaying in my mind, “Oh Lamb of God, I come. I come.”
When we come to the Lord for the first time, we are told to come just as we are. No pressure. No pretense. But as the years passed, I came to Him with a religious routine instead of enjoying a loving time together.
Structure is not necessarily bad. I continue to read devotional books and Bible reading plans, but I am also willing to lay them aside to allow the Lord to speak to me or lead me to an unplanned scripture.
To-do-lists can wait for another day. The earth keeps spinning and my relationship with the Lord stays fresh and sweet.
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