I’m thrilled to have my friend, Becky Hastings, guest-posting with us today. Along with being a wife, mother, author, and blogger, Becky recently launched her new 5 day (free!) ecourse, DWELL. (Which I highly recommend. A lovely course that doesn’t take a lot of time, but offers a sweet sense of calm in exchange for that time.) Thank you Becky for sharing with us today. ♥
It all started with a weird sound in my ear. It wasn’t loud or painful. There was no ringing or buzzing. It was just a sound that wouldn’t go away.
By morning, this little sound had become something entirely different in my mind. I hadn’t been able to sleep well, the sound taunting me as I lay staring at the ceiling.
When I awoke, it was the first thing I thought about, and before my feet hit the floor I couldn’t tell if I still heard the sound or if it was just the memory of the sound.
I started going through my day, thinking about it, searching for it online, getting kids ready, searching again, eating breakfast, wondering, and on and on. It was all I could think about. And I wasn’t even sure it was still happening.
How often do we do that? Get an idea in our head that we just keep thinking about. Like a splinter under the skin, it’s suddenly the only thing we can feel.
It took approximately ten minutes of this weird sound for it to become the only thing I could think about, the mindset I was living in. I was dwelling on this one thing and allowed it to (negatively) impact everything else around me.
But what if we are made to dwell, to think upon the same thing and spend time in a given place? What if that is what we are made for, but we just pick the wrong things?
We stress over finances or a sick loved one. We worry about our kids or if we are in the right job. We worry about what to have for dinner or why our hair doesn’t look right.
So many of the things of life that we dwell on drain our soul instead of fill us up. 
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In the book of Matthew, Jesus addresses this backward thinking. He writes of the birds of the air not worrying about their provision and the flowers not worrying about how they look. Jesus tells us exactly what to do: “Seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
Take a few minutes and read Jesus’ teaching in the Message version here. It brings such clarity to the message and challenges us to make changes.
What if we changed our dwelling to the one thing we are all called to dwell on? What if we began investing our thoughts in the Father instead of the circumstances surrounding us?
I know, it sound so easy in black and white, but real life is another story. Work and the kids and the laundry and the bills and on and on and on. We are living in the world, and that means real responsibilities. I know. But our time with God doesn’t need to be complicated or meet certain requirements. Our time with God can be as simple as shifting our thinking.
If we have the capacity to dwell on the negative things in our life, we have the ability to DWELL in the presence of God.
But I often wonder how. How do I make time for God in the middle of real life? How do I really talk to Him or read a verse without it feeling like a task? How do I DWELL in Him instead of my circumstances? I discovered 2 things that work.
How to DWELL in the presence of God:
- Make it simple.
- Do it messy.
I knew if I really wanted to change the way I thought about time with God and make it something real in my heart, I needed it to be simple. And I needed the ability to get it wrong. To mess it up. To miss a day and keep going.
This couldn’t be a “Read-through-the-Bible- in-a- Year” plan or a declaration of waking up before everyone and 
spending an hour praying every morning. My time with God needed to be something I could realistically do just as I am at this moment.
DWELL is a free e-course to do just that. DWELL provides a framework for you to cultivate time with God in the middle of your real life. In 5 daily emails, you will be encouraged and be given a simple task, taking no more than 5 minutes. This 5 minutes is like an internal pause to DWELL in the presence of God. Sign up here today! These five days can shift the way you think about spending time with God. We all have the ability to dwell. May we learn to embrace real life and walk together as we DWELL in the presence of God.
Rebecca believes in embracing grace in real life. At My Ink Dance, she captures hard, uncomfortable, often unspoken feelings and brings light, honesty and God’s truth to them in a relatable way.
She is also the author of Worthy: Believe Who God Says You Are, a 20 day devotional inviting women to live life confident of their worth. Rebecca is a wife and mother of three in Connecticut writing imperfect and finding faith along the way.
You can connect with Becky on her website, facebook, twitter, instagram and pinterest.
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Becky,
Oh how easy it is to dwell on the negative and on circumstances. It takes real obedience to lift my eyes to look to the Lord, but when I look “to the hills” that’s where my help comes from. I like the message version of this teaching too. I also like how you say that dwelling in the Lord can be messy. It doesn’t have to be perfect. We’re human so it can’t be. Thinking and dwelling on what’s good, and pure, and lovely takes a lifetime of practice and enabling by God. Enjoyed this post!
Blessings,
Bev xx
Thanks Bev! It can be so hard to lift our eyes and look to where our true help comes from, can’t it? But God loves every imperfect attempt. Every time we start over He is welcoming us and celebrating our return. The more we look to Him the less we look at the negative circumstances. So grateful you are here today 🙂
Love this, Becky! You know I’m particularly fond of anything I can do “messy!” May God richly bless you as you share His truths and help women get in the word! Thanks, Breda, for sharing Becky this week!
Awww…thanks Liz. I think that’s why we understand each other so well…we like when we can be real and messy and still see God!
What a beautiful reminder that we need to dwell on the things of God throughout our day—not just during our devotion time!
Isn’t it amazing how we can tend to put God in a tidy box, a line on our to-do list waiting to be checked off? He longs for so much more. He wants us to invite Him in to the messy, imperfect, real places so we don’t have to feel so alone.
Becky, I”m so glad to read more about your ministry and vision here! Your teaching series looks really good. Such a needed resource. May God use it greatly.
And hello, Brenda! Blessings on your week.
Thanks Betsy! I hope that you find it helpful and that it brings you more intimacy with God in the middle of everyday life!
Becky, so glad to see you here at Brenda’s. I’m signing up for your course today! Blessings on both of you.
Thanks Sarah! I hope it richly blesses you and that you can experience more of God in every day!
Such truth here Becky and what a great idea for an ecourse! Thanks for sharing and reminding us where we really need to DWELL! Thanks as always Brenda for sharing needed words and community!
Thanks Jill! Believe me, I am reminding myself and walking this right alongside you ! Have a beautiful day!
Becky,
Letting go and letting God is the most difficult and the most freeing. Thanks for the encouragement! Praying blessings over this course and your ministry.
~Sherry Stahl
xoxo
Hi Brenda! Praying you sense God’s presence in new ways this week 🙂
~Sherry
xoxo
Sherry, thank so much for your prayers! They are treasured!
Signing up, Becky, even as we speak! {And hi, Brenda!}
So grateful that God meets us right in the mess of where we find ourselves.
And oh, can it look like a disaster sometimes …
Bless you.
Linda! I’m with you! I can find myself in some pretty messy places sometimes. The more I invite God in, the more I focus on Him instead of the mess. And it is so beautiful!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Thanks for hosting!
Hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
Hi! Becky, Great post! My word for the is “presence”, and this was such a good reminder. I especially like this quote,” So many of the things of life that we dwell on drain our soul instead of fill us up.” I had not thought about that way, but it is so true!! Thanks so much for sharing with us! Blessings, Misty
Hi Misty! Presence is such a beautiful breathy word like dwell and abide (my word of the year). I want these concepts to be like breathing, natural and life giving and automatic. Praying you experience God’s presence today and all year!
Thanks for teaming up here, Brenda and Becky, to encourage us to advance in our appreciation of God: who He is and all He has done!
Blessings to you!
Always wonderful to cross paths Michele! Praying blessings for you today!
Becky, you nailed the issue for me with Dwell. 1) Do it Simple 2) Do it Messy — L DO love reading about other’s God-time and the Bible reading plans. But dealt with that feeling of blah because it wasn’t meshing with who I was with God. It became burdensome to follow a thing because I had to, and though it was not always this way (I did plans before in my pre-teen years) — this season of my life is just so different.
It’s almost as if he is trying to revive the kid in me who never got to be a kid (because I tried to grow up too fast). I appreciated Dwell so much and this post is one of my favorites ever. I can;t tell you how refreshing your words are, to read without filter and such. Sending virtual hugs your way friend!
Hi Becky, your thoughts are enlightening and encouraging. God has made the way to Him so simple and yet, we tend to overcomplicate things to a point we are paralyzed and do nothing. I appreciate your nudge to do something…anything…no matter how messy or unsophisticated. The reward is ours for the taking; we need only to stop a moment to dwell with Him. I will take your words to heart and spend more time Dwelling!
DO it simple- do it messy. Love that! Sometimes, that’s what we have to do, isn’t it? And I really like that word, dwell!
Excited for you and your new course! Praying others are blessed through your teachings! <3
Dwell what a beautiful word when applied in a positive way. I have been dwelling too much on what I cant accomplish instead of what I am getting done. Changing my attitude right now. THANK YOU!
Thanks Becky, for the invitation to DWELL with Jesus. I’ve signed up over at your place, and looking forward to those minutes every day to connect.! And thanks for a beautiful link-up Brenda!
Sounds like a fabulous teaching, Becky. And I love the “Dwell” title. A beautiful visual pops up with it.
Rebecca, thank you for reminding us about the peace we find when we dwell with Jesus! Brenda, thank you for sharing Rebecca with us today!
This is such an eye opener, Becky: ‘”What if that is what we are made for, but we just pick the wrong things?”
We do! We pick the wrong things!
I’ve signed up for your e-course and look forward to going through it! Thanks!
“What if we began investing our thoughts in the Father instead of the circumstances surrounding us?” Yes. It’s sometimes difficult to take every thought captive, but we’re encouraged to do so. I love this truth, Becky: “If we have the capacity to dwell on the negative things in our life, we have the ability to DWELL in the presence of God.” Amen.
Dwelling in the Lord’s presence is the best place to be.Reminds me of the verse,” He that dwelleth in the secret place of
the most High shall abide under the
shadow of the Almighty. “Psalm 91:1
God bless you as you start your study.
two great points that can apply so many places! simple and messy is my middle name and this is an encouragment to all – great job, becky! (:
I have a messy chair w/ overflowing baskets, pens, kleenex, coffee mugs, books and bibles oh and I got a heated throw for Christmas -(I am my mother after all) which is messy and wonderful and calls me every morning. thankful.
This post couldn’t have come at a better time. I have been overwhelmed and dwelling on some of everything but God. I’ve prayed but honestly I think I’ve pondered so much on what I need to do that I haven’t stopped enough to hear from him and be bathed in his peace. Thank you for reminding me to dwell on him who has me in the palm of his hands.