For my Young Adult Friends: Reset
Are you deciding something? Do you need wisdom or help with a relationship? Is the pandemic world just too much or just too strange? Maybe you are simply wondering — where is God?
God is turned toward you, turned toward your concern. God knows you perfectly, the inside and the outside. He and His Word are not bound by human wisdom. Time is simply not the same with us as it is with God (2 Peter 3.8b). His Word is food for your mind, your heart, your body, and for your very soul. God’s Word addresses the questions above, and so much more about life and our world.
Lean into God’s Word, into the Bible. If you do, you are ultimately leaning into God. Have the courage to lean into God’s Word, hand cupped around your ear, listening to God. John 10.3b says,
“…The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
Yes, God knows your name, the sheep hear his voice, and YES…God’s Word has something to say about your current need or concern.So, whether you have been leaning in or whether you have been leaning away – if you desire to reset, I want to give you three simple action steps to consider. And, by the way – this is a choice. There is no quick fix for life’s questions. But God will not fail you. He knows you, all of you!
1. Desire & One Step:
(A) This is a time for a gut-check about your self-awareness and honesty with God. Do you want to know and live according to God’s Word? Do you care? Be honest about your ‘desire’ so that you start from a place of authentic personal awareness. You may be ambivalent, disinterested, or do not know how to start. Tell God about that gut-check; say it all!
(B) Starting, or choosing a reset, means you have made a choice. Here is one step you can take: Commit to read Psalms 19 for four days in a row, asking God to give you a clear, unhindered desire to know Him and His Word each day you read. After reading, write a word or phrase that stands out.
(C) After four days, you will have four words (or phrases) that stand out. What do you hear? Understand? Use this short four-day
journey to help you forward. Your questions, frustrations, and wanderings are valid; be willing to choose to lean in.
2. Memorize:
Find one verse that reflects something about God’s Word (i.e., Hebrews 4.12). Memorize it. What?! How did you memorize the lyrics to your favorite song? Exactly. You can do it. Decide which one, write it down (or use your phone to write or make a voice memo). Practice any way that works for you. I have had thousands of occasions where God’s Spirit has recalled a memorized verse – just at the exact time needed.
3. App:
Yes, find a Bible reading or devotional App that you like. Try it. Simple. A final thought – resetting with God and His Word, the Bible, means your soul is hungry. These three brief suggestions can help with the reset. And remember, a friend likely needs the same encouragement, so consider finding a friend for the journey!
By the way, did I mention it is a choice?
Gretchen S. Englund
Mentor/Trainer
Minneapolis, MN. USA
May 2021
