One of the most incredible things about God is His ability to uniquely and authentically relate to everyone.

And while I know His ways and thoughts are higher than my own…I can’t help but imagine that sometimes He’s side eyeing the mess out of me for some of my requests and frustrations.

And if we’re real and honest…He’s probably side eyeing you too, sis.

Let me explain.

How many times have you been laid out, tears falling, heart open just calling out to God about a specific area or problem in your life only to get radio silence in return?

Sometimes, that silence can be because you’re in the midst of a test and God is strengthening your faith.

Sometimes, that silence can be because you’re in a season of growth that just requires you to keep your eyes solely on Jesus regardless of what does or doesn’t happen.

And well…sometimes that silence is the side eye.

The Spiritual Side Eye.

I think the Spiritual Side Eye comes because God has already given us exactly what we have asked for…it just might have come in packaging we didn’t expect.

I wonder how often are we still praying for something that our Father has already blessed us with?

It’s not actually that the Lord hasn’t heard our prayer, it’s that we haven’t stopped to take stock of our blessings.

You have the time.
You have the money.
You have the energy.

You might not just be applying your resources to the things you are going to God in prayer about.

You want to save for a house, but you aren’t sure where your down payment is going to come from and your faith is wavering on whether or not God will provide.

Have you counted up all the times you tithed to Chick-fil-A this month? (For me I had unsubscribe to the Loft emails. Their 50% off promos were killing my pockets.)

That could be the start of your down payment right there.

You know the Lord put it on your heart to start a business but you work full time and don’t have the energy/time to get it done.

But you just spent the last 47 minutes on the explore page of Instagram looking at people you don’t even know.

There is no judgement coming from me, girl.

Trust, I was just on the explore page before I felt convicted to open my laptop and started typing this for you.

And hear me clearly, I’m not saying don’t eat out, don’t engage in social media, and don’t enjoy life.

What I am saying is that sometimes we have to pause and take inventory of the resources we have.

I am saying that surveying what we’ve already been given can change our perspective and help us see that God has already blessed us with the resources that we need to do what He’s called us to do.

So, let’s think about some of the ways that we can keep the Lord from throwing the Spiritual Side Eye in our direction with a few practical steps that will help us align what we’ve already been blessed with, with what we want to accomplish:

Give thanks daily for what you already have:

Praise changes your perspective. It opens you up to the goodness and faithfulness of God and  with the renewing of your mind also comes the ability to see with a holy perspective. The most incredible part of this? You can do it anywhere. I personally love sitting with a journal and a devotional (my favorite is Jesus Calling by Sarah Young). I start my quiet time with the Lord by just thanking Him for all that He has given me. I list out my thanks and it just puts me in such a posture of gratitude.

I also love a good car ride worship session. Some songs just take me there like Oceans by Hillsong as well as  Wonder and In Over My Head by Bethel Music. There’s also a new artist I recently found named CASS and she has an album called Genesis, I love it for just background music for working or driving when I need something a little more upbeat.

Taking time to sit at the feet of Jesus, praise Him for all He has already done, and pour my heart out to Him really impacts the way I walk into my day and spend my time.

I promise, this is a side eye free zone.

Evaluate what you already have and how it’s used:

Take a Saturday morning and pull together your bank statements and pay stubs. Look at how much money you bring in every two weeks, month, and six months. If what God has called you to do requires a some coins, look at how much you make and where your money goes. Sometimes it’s less about not having resources and more about how you’re spending them.

The same can be said for your time.

Calendar out your day in a planner or in your outlook. When I first began doing this, I realized there were huge chunks of undefined time in my day that were  causing me to get sucked into activities that kept me busy, but not always productive. Looking at your time and doing only the things you are uniquely gifted to do is a game change.

I am not the only person in my house who is gifted with the ability to fold drawers…but I am the only person who can write this post and run this blog.

There’s power in the way you manage your time.

Align your resources with your prayers:

Once you’ve found the ways in which your resources are currently being underutilized, it’s time to create a plan to fix it.

Put your plan on paper.
Did you hear me?

I said put that bad boy on paper.  

And know what works for you. For me, my plan involves money, but I’m not good at a monthly budget. So I crafted a two week plan. My husband and I get paid every two weeks and every two weeks I have a plan for how our money is being spent. From monthly bills, to debt reduction, to savings and fun money we have a plan and that plan is plainly written on a piece of paper (well a Google Doc, but virtual paper is still paper right?). 

Find someone who can help keep you on track:

You know that person who is both the ultimate cheerleader and prayer warrior. If not, you better find one. Find someone who you can confide in and will also love you enough to check you when your resources don’t align with your prayers.

Track your progress and celebrate small milestones:

Big visions start with small steps.

But if you only wait to celebrate until you complete big things, you may not see your way through a long hard task.

Track your progress along the way in order to make necessary changes to systems and habits that aren’t working.

Also, celebrate along the way! Don’t celebrate once you have the business or the house.

Celebrate when you create the logo, pay down your debt, create the LLC, or find a realtor. All of those steps matter.

 

And I understand that sometimes it’s not that easy.

There are so many women in my life and yours too who just can’t change their spending habits or spend less time on social media to change their life outcomes.

Women struggling with depression.
Women struggling with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.
Women struggling to bring life into the world.
Women struggling with the loss of a loved one.

I feel it on my heart to tell you that Jesus is so close to the broken hearted. That He loves you so much and wants to comfort you. That this isn’t a punishment or a sin and that if you let Him, He will provide a peace that can’t come from anywhere else. He loves you, girl. While I don’t know why you are hurting,  I know it’s not in vain.

What is one way you are going to commit to using what you’ve been blessed with?

 

There is magic in our musings,
Nicole