The Truth, in Love, About Why I Wasn’t “Feeling It” {His Presence}



In God’s presence are peace, joy, feelings of freedom and love. ALL the goodness.

The other day I wasn’t feeling peaceful, I was feeling anxious.

I wasn’t feeling joy, I was feeling “meh”.

I wasn’t feeling free, I was feeling trapped in circumstance.

I wasn’t loving and being content with life, I was lusting after some things of this world for a moment.

It didn’t take me long to realize I was headed in the wrong direction. Anxiety isn’t my norm anymore, and so whenever I feel it I know I’m getting off track and out of the awareness of His presence.

And when that happens, sometimes I’ll sing a little song to help me enter back in. The one in the photo is one of my faves:

🎵 I will enter your house with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter your courts with praise…I will say ‘This is the day that the Lord has made!’ I will rejoice for you have made me glad! 🎵

As I ended, He spoke to me.

That inner, gentle voice.

The one that definitely isn’t my own because it often catches me by surprise,

in the way that it’s bluntly honest-

but not rude.

Not critical,

like I can be of myself sometimes.

But also not coddling,

like a friend who so much doesn’t want to offend you that they can’t be relied upon to be honest with you.

“The reason you feel out of my presence (and lacking peace and joy) sometimes, is because you’re entering OUT of my presence, unintentionally, with thanks-withholding, and focusing on your problems.

It’s not a punishment, when you can’t feel me- it’s not like I’ve closed the door to you.

Rather, by not choosing to open your door to me, and enter in to my presence through thanksgiving and praise, you have effectively walked out of my presence by your own choice of what you’re focusing on.

The good news is, as quick as you realize it, you can turn right back around and come back towards me! My door is always open! I’m always ready to provide warm hospitality to you, and share of my wonderful fruits you enjoy so much- the love, joy, peace, all the good stuff!”

And He did, true to His Word.

As soon as I adjusted that attitude,

took a look at what I was looking at

(which, in that particular moment, had been drooling at pictures of beaches and mountains, and dreaming of a vacation again) and turned my heart and mind back into Him…

As soon as I stopped grumbling about the snow and the cold and how I was “stuck” inside, and started reflecting on my gratitude for a warm house, the beautiful white fluff for a view, and the ability to “peace out” (in HIM) anytime I needed- peace indeed came flooding back in!

He’s simply the BEST!

And part of what makes Him that is that He is ALWAYS perfectly loving, while simultaneously being perfectly honest.

One without the other,

Love without honesty,

Or hard honesty, without love-

can be a mess, and hard to handle.

But together, they make for the best of relationships!