Good evening, everyone!
Welcome to my first diary entry! The purpose of this blog series is to offer hope and encouragement to all who read it, in the name of Christ. I have a deep love for journaling and a passion for inspiring others to walk more like Jesus. This blog is my way of blending those two loves, sharing real and raw life experiences as we grow together in faith. My prayer is that through this ongoing series, our eyes and ears will be opened to receive all that He has for us.
This morning, I woke up on the right side of the bed, and that, in itself, is a blessing! The past few days, I let my exhaustion and frustrations get the best of me. But by God’s grace, today was different! I’m sure you’ve had those days where you just feel off, sometimes without even knowing why. That was exactly my situation. It wasn’t until later that I realized the root of my struggle: I had been neglecting my alone time with God.
Even as someone who studies the Word of God daily for class, participates in multiple Bible studies, and engages in deep Theological discussions, I can still lose sight of the 'why.' Trusting in God is a personal decision and a relationship that only goes as deep as we allow it. Even the good things in life can become distractions if we lose sight of Jesus within them. Stumbling is inevitable, we all do it every day. The real question is: how do we allow God to pick us back up?
In business class today, I was reminded of the concept of "opportunity cost." Simply put, it’s the impact a specific decision has on your life. If you invest $10,000 in crypto, you must accept the possibility of losing it all. If you don’t invest, you live with the "what if." Every decision comes with a trade-off. For me, I had been saying "yes" to so many other things that I unknowingly said "no" to my quiet time with Jesus. I became so focused on pursuing more that I didn’t realize I was pushing God aside with my actions. Recognizing this was crucial, and I’m grateful to say today was a turning point. Let me share how God helped shift my mindset.
First, I prayed and asked God to search my heart (Psalm 139:23-24). Then, I waited. The second part: is being still and is often the hardest. Trust me, I struggle with stillness more than you know! Even my "still" might seem chaotic to others. But that’s the beauty of God’s relationship with us; He speaks to each of us in unique ways, and we all worship Him differently.
After praying, I felt led by the Spirit to make a few phone calls. God came through yet again! A friend prayed for me, and during that same call, I was invited to play basketball. I was exhausted and could have easily gone to sleep, but in that moment, spiritual rest was more important than physical rest. Now, you might be thinking, "Basketball isn’t restful!" And you’d be right, physically, it’s not. But for me, that’s a time when I deeply connect with God. We all have different ways of worshipping Him, and I’ve heard even crazier stories than mine!
What I did today isn’t as important as why I did it. Reflecting on previous days helped me understand why today was so meaningful. Moving forward, I’ll be focusing on daily reflections by highlighting the ways I see God working in my life.
Today gave my mind a renewed sense of clarity and brought me back to God. Every time we find ourselves needing to "come back" to Him, it’s already been too long, whether it’s been a month, a week, or even just five minutes. Stay strong, my brothers and sisters. Keep God close to you and on your lips throughout the day.
God bless,
Ty Blacke