Every night after dinner, I pack up uneaten food and place it in the refrigerator. Sometimes we eat it for lunch the next day, but sometimes it gets pushed to the back of the refrigerator, lost in the abyss of the fridge until I rediscover it – a week later growing fuzz.
A few months ago, I couldn’t shake the word leftovers. Everywhere I turned, it seemed to be there. One evening, after the kids had fallen asleep, I flopped down on the couch and pulled my phone out to do a little scrolling. Leftovers came to mind. I am giving God my leftovers I thought.
Being a mama is a dream come true, and as much as I love it, it equally kicks my butt. I try to read my Bible in the morning, but a lot of times it is interrupted with “So-and-so kicked me,” “Can you play with me, mama?” Or a little voice calling from the bathroom for assistance (#realityofmotherhood).
Where I’m at in life with really young children, I’d like to think God will happily take my leftovers because I’m tending to His sheep, but what about the scrolling and constant noise that I let fill the cracks of my day? Sure, grace covers it, but the reality is God wants more of me. And truth be told: I want more of Him and less of the world - less distraction and noise.
I know that I am who I am today because of Christ in me. I’m not the same person I was a year ago, five years ago, or in high school because of Christ in me (which I’m so thankful for). If you’ve accepted Christ, He’s in you too. John, in talking about the enemy, encourages believers in 1 John 4:4 saying, “You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them [evil people/antichrists], because the One who is you is greater than the one who is in the world.” When we commit our lives to Christ, we are given the Holy Spirit. We become a dwelling place for Christ in us. In that, there’s transformation. We become more like Christ through the sanctification process that happens here on earth through our day-to-day challenges, trials, and tribulations. In order to strengthen the relationship between us and our Spirit and in order to become more like Christ, we must feed that relationship and be an active participant in our walk with Christ. We must connect with Him. We must connect with The Word. We must connect with our Spirit through prayer, and in that, we become more and more like the One who laid His life down for us. We have to give more than leftovers to the One who gave it ALL. In that, I think we will discover that the peace He gives to us is not the same the world gives us (John 14:27).
Join me as we prepare our hearts for Easter in giving God more than just our leftovers. The One who is in us is greater than the one in the world. Have a nice weekend, friends!