After my annual appointment, the doctor closed with the question, “Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?” I felt a nudge from God and my mind said, “Yes. I’ve been having anxiety,” but my mouth said, “No.” I walked out of the office without admitting to my anxious feelings, my mindset being I can go it alone.
Four months later, I drove thirty minutes to town while feeling the heaviness of anxiety. My emotions overflowed at a traffic light and I pulled the car into the nearest parking lot for fear of losing control. God used this moment to convince me to call my doctor’s office when I returned home.
After scheduling the appointment, I thought the hard part was done. Not so. That weekend, God further withered my independent nature with worsening anxiety the next morning. With my husband out of town, God brought to mind my brother, whom I had not told about my anxiety. I called and filled him in on my situation. After he drove me to the ER, my brother called my sister, who offered to stay the night with me. At first, I rejected the offer, saying I had my pills and I’d be fine on my own. God wiped away those thoughts and replaced them with a better one: I’d have someone I trusted in the house if I needed help. I then accepted her offer.
In my story, I see the woman at the well and Jesus working with a slow and steady purpose to wither her perspective and nourish her spirit with God’s perspective. Like the Samaritan woman, I engaged with God by asking questions. Although sometimes I changed the subject or made excuses, God conversed with me until I understood. I learned from our continual conversation that the community he provided is stronger than my independence. That weekend, I prepared a road in my heart to walk with God, relying on his strength in my weakness and allowing his presence to comfort me.
Spiritual nourishment from our King comes when we recognize the frailty of our human nature. We are imperfect beings who sometimes seek desires, material possessions, emotions, thoughts, or dreams to strengthen us, comfort us, and provide us peace, but the feelings from these earthly entities are temporary. I pray that you, in your weakness, seek God’s promises and allow him to engage with slow and steady purpose, nourish your spirit, and secure you in his love.
Father in Heaven, I am an imperfect human being who needs spiritual nourishment. May I remember I can ask questions of you when I don’t understand. May I remember to seek your Word for strength, comfort, and peace. May I have a road in my heart that we walk together. I thank you for working with a slow and steady purpose to teach me your perspective. In your name I pray, amen.
Throughout This Day: I resonated with the story of the woman at the well. Choose a story or a verse from the Bible that speaks to a part of you that needs to wither. Pray over the verse and ask questions of God to gain understanding.