A Fervent Pursuit - What to Expect

If you’re anything like me, you like knowing what’s up ahead.

You want to know what to expect.

And, when our expectations are way out of proportion, it can cause frustration and confusion.

Is it supposed to look like this?!

Am I doing this right?

Am I going the right way?

While I’m not an expert on the topic, I’d like to think the experience I do possess will bless you as you begin (or continue) in your fervent pursuit of the God of the Bible.

Remember the first time you tried to tie your shoe?

Your fingers and hands were awkward.

You weren’t sure which bunny burrow to push the bunny into.

“Like this mom?” 👀

The first time you cracked an egg?

You were hesitant. 🍳

You tapped the egg so gently because you didn’t know how much force it would take to crack it. 😬

In the beginning, it’s almost always AWKWARD.

Expect awkward moments.

It’s normal to feel hesitant.

Don’t let this keep you from moving forward.

You’re going to wonder, “Am I doing this right?”

If you’re talking honestly with God, you’re doing it right. Keep going. 🏃‍♀️

Expect that you’re going to get really good at praying.

Talk to Him OFTEN. (This is what prayer is — talking to God)

Many people find it helpful to keep a journal to record prayers.

“God, I want to know you. I don’t really know how to go about it, but I know enough to trust You will show me. I will keep looking with an expectant heart.”

“God, I can tell I’m getting irritated with my spouse again. I know my anger and judgement aren’t honoring to my spouse or to You. Please help me.”

“God, I know community is important. I know I need to be with other Christians who are pursuing you whole heartedly. I don’t know where to find those people. Will You please show me?”

Expect to get vulnerable in community.

If you’re not already plugged in to your local Christian church, get connected.

I’m happy and honored to help guide you someplace if you need/want help. Just ask.

Seriously. I have friends all over the USA + Canada…and, contacts outside North America.

Also…I know a Guy. 😉

A healthy church will be a place where you come to reorient your hearts toward the gospel — in community (common-unity).

It will be a place where you safely confess your sins to one another + find healing through a repentant life.

You will learn how to address conflict in a Biblical, life-giving way.

You will worship God together in spirit and in truth — this will look like singing together and serving together.

You will dig into God’s Word together + be taught, corrected, and trained in righteousness together.

Christianity at its core is COMMUNAL.

There is no individual Christianity.

SIDE NOTE: I know this is a season where a lot of people carry “church hurt,” and I know many hearts are weary and tender. Let me encourage you that God is trustworthy and He will lead your surrendered heart to a safe place — TRUST HIM — it may look wildly different than you’d expect. Expect the unexpected. HA!

Contrary to popular belief, the church is *not full of perfect people.

Christians are saints who still sin. (Article explaining this here)

A healthy church, however, is full of surrendered hearts.

Their community *should look a good-kind-of-different, but it will not be perfect.

Expect to need to learn to be still.

This concept eluded me for quite some time.

In our world of non-stop production, it can be difficult to justify being still.

However, if you’re on a fervent pursuit of God, it’s VITAL.

I remember asking a friend, “So…I just sit here? And, be quiet?”

She said, “YUP.”

If I were to help flesh it out for someone new, I would add, it’s not just about being quiet.

It’s about learning to still the storm in your soul as you surrender your heart and sit quietly in His presence.

Find a quiet place and practice this for one minute.

Continue adding minutes each time you do it…I promise it will get less awkward and you’ll eventually crave these moments with Him and forget all about trying to make it to another minute, but instead, wishing you could spend just one more minute.

“God, I’m here. I want to receive all that you have to give me. I am going to do my best to quiet my heart and mind. Help me to reject distractions. I want to know You deeper. I want to hear from You.”

Expect to make the Bible your best-loved, most-read book.

Get. Into. The. Bible. (This is God’s living Word to us!!)

If you knew God was speaking to you … DAILY … would you want to hear from Him?

God speaks to us through His Word … DAILY … make a daily, standing appointment to hear from Him.

If you’ve never read the Bible before, start in the New Testament (check the Table of Contents) and read through the first 4 books, over and over and over, talking honestly to God as you do. Keep a journal nearby to record observations and conversations.

TIP: Read the Bible the way it was meant to be read. Your church can help point you to resources for this. Don’t make the mistake of cherry-picking verses and applying them to your situation without proper context.

Expect to have questions.

Expect to have doubts.

But, don’t exclude Him.

During a really heavy season in my life where I didn’t know up from down, I went to see a Biblical counselor.

I spent weeks with her and still felt so confused and frustrated.

By the time I had dropped $500, she gave me a piece of advice that I now call my “$500 piece of advice” (catchy, no?).

She said, “How can you invite God into the conversation in your head?”

And, this is why I am writing to you.

Why did no one tell me this?!

I had no idea I was simply not understanding how this “Christian thing” worked.

I had bought the lies from progressive Christianity and the prosperity gospel.

I was trying to do good things and find favor with God in my own strength, not giving a thought to what it really meant to fully surrender my life to Him.

I still wanted Him to be my genie!

I wanted Him to do what I wanted Him to do, and in exchange, I would do good things in His name.

Sounds like a pretty fool-proof plan, right? 🤦‍♀️

Expect a marathon, not a sprint.

You’re going to need community to cheer you on and encourage you — DON’T SKIP THIS.

Weeks, years, or decades may go by and your marriage may continue in brokenness.

But, I guarantee that if your prize, your goal, your heart’s craving is WHOLENESS with God, you will gain that in increased measure.

The pain of your broken marriage will not feel so crushing.

You will be able to walk with PEACE + JOY in the midst of pain — not just marital pain, but all of life’s pain.

I’ve come to a place where I just don’t want anything else but Jesus.

Nothing else satisfies. Do you feel that, too?

We work hard for financial gain…

We look for solutions for health…

We look for ways to stay looking and feeling young…

We look for ways to gain notoriety…

We look for ways to calm the anxiety…

We look for ways to feed the hunger…

We look for things to make us happy…

We look for things to make us more comfortable…

We chase solutions to keep us in control…

We read every self-help book…

But, for what?

To what end?

All the so-called “solutions” are simply bandaids for a larger issue.

C.S. Lewis once said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we

were made for another world.”

We were made for perfect unity with our Creator.

He has promised He’s restoring all things, but we’re living in the “already but not yet,” which means we are only going to taste glimpses of Heaven until He returns to set all things right.

Don’t settle for what the world is offering.

Work through the awkward, the hesitations, the questions, the doubts.

Taste as much as Heaven now as He’ll allow.

Pursue Him with an undivided heart.

I can’t promise things will be easy.

In fact, I promise you’re going to face hard things.

I can’t promise you’ll have everything you want.

But, I can promise you’ll have everything you need.

Keep seeking.

💛 Caitlin

PS: This obviously is not a comprehensive list. But, I hope you feel more clear on what kinds of things to expect and where to invest your time as a fervent pursuer of Christ. This song would be a great one to turn on and find a quiet place and let your heart and voice sing it to God. 🌻

(James 4:8, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 8:17, Psalms 9:10, Psalms 34:10, Psalms 63:1, Psalms 105:4, Lamentations 3:25, Luke 11:9-10, Deuteronomy 4:29)