Man, Charles Stanley -- you hit the nail on the head!!!
This past summer, I was so restless. I felt anxiety like I have never felt before. I couldn't sleep past 5am -- and that is NOT like me. I love my sleep. But I had to get up! It was like I couldn't think or even breathe until I heard from Him. My dog and I would take long walks, listening to sermons. After the walk, I would plant myself on the back porch and just read God's word. I would draw, read, pray, and listen. It was the ONLY way I could feel any peace in my heart. And I have honestly only felt that way one other time in my life -- when I lost my fiance at the age of 24 in a car accident.
I knew there were big changes going on in my heart.
And this change has been the greatest gift of all time -- I rediscovered my lifeline, my Bible. It is no longer something I just study. It IS my lifeline. It is my direct line to God's leading in my life. He speaks directly to me through His word -- giving me advice on how to live my life TODAY -- on what decisions to make. He speaks directly to my heart -- giving me a peace that I can find nowhere else. If you see me out and about, you know that His word is close by. I have to have it near me.
When anxiety creeps up (my restlessness) I run to His word to fill my heart with the peace that only He can give.
I've been a believer since the age of 15 -- and I look back and see so many seasons of my life. I love His leading. I love looking back and seeing that God can bring good out of everything I encounter, everything I endure. And I love this new sense of HUNGER for His word. Yes, it came out of a season of great difficulty. But I wouldn't trade that season of difficulty for anything -- for in it I heard directly from God as I traveled down that pathway. Blessed.
