The My Daily Warm-Up Studio

Our devotional this morning, from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young:

Be still.

Even that feels like a confrontation right now.

Because everything in me—and everything around me—is pulling for my attention.

Optimize this.

Track that.

Fix this.

Improve that.

And yet:

“Nothing is as important as spending time with Me.”

I’ve been sitting with this all week…Talking about tools. Healing. Truth. What’s real and what’s not.

And this feels like the center point:

Am I seeking God…

or am I seeking what He can do for me?

I want to say this clearly, because I mean it deeply—

This is not a rejection of the tools.

I see the desperation. Those suffering. Those searching. Those trying anything just to feel relief again. (I’m right there with you!)

Even things others might question—because when something helps, even a little… of course you reach for it.

I understand that. I do that!

We are called to care for our bodies. To participate in healing. To take responsibility for our choices and habits.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples…” — 1 Corinthians 6:19

I brush my teeth. I move my body. I use LOTS of tools. I eat well. I take my supplements. I deep breathe.

But I cannot ignore what I’m starting to see more clearly:

It doesn’t last.

Not at the soul level.

And that’s not condemnation—

That’s a clue.

Because what brings relief isn’t always what brings life.

And I see this playing out in very real ways right now.

We are being offered quicker and easier paths everywhere—especially when it comes to our bodies.

Take something like GLP-1 medications.

For some, they can be helpful—even necessary. I’m not here to condemn that.

But I am asking a deeper question:

If I use something to lose the weight…but skip developing a responsible relationship with my body and food…skip understanding my patterns, my habits, my emotional connection to food…

then what happens when the tool is gone?

Have I actually become healthier…

or have I bypassed the part that was trying to teach me something?

Because real health isn’t just a result.

It’s a relationship.

And this is where I feel the shift happening in me—

Not away from the tools…

But deeper into truth.

If we are not careful, anything can become an idol.

Not just obvious things. Even good things. Even helpful things.

If they become what I turn to first…

what I trust most…

what I depend on for peace…

“You have forsaken your first love.” — Revelation 2:4

It’s not about doing bad things.

It’s about slowly replacing the relationship… with the results.

I think it is the same with God.

He is not just the One who gives answers…

He is THE ANSWER.

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” — Colossians 1:27

And I see it in my own life—I can do all the right things:

Gratitude lists.

Confessions.

Worship songs.

But am I actually feeling it? Am I connected?

Or am I just moving through another checklist? Because I’ve felt the difference-more often than I want to admit.

On a run a few weekends ago, I forgot my earbuds. At first I was disappointed to not have my rhythmic beats helping my feet along or something to distract me once my knees started to hurt, but then I became full of gratitude that my ears were clear—I heard the birds. Watched them building their nests.

Saw AND HEARD the water.

Felt and HEARD the wind.

No filter. No performance.

Just… real. It was ALL REAL in this world of fake. I almost was crying.

“The heavens declare the glory of God…” — Psalm 19:1

After this long winter…when the sun comes out, I don’t want to miss it.

I want to stand in it.

Feel it.

Receive it.

Not track it.

Not optimize it.

Just be in it.

With God.

I don’t want to talk about the light…

I want to step into it.

“The Lord is my light…” — Psalm 27:1

“In Your light we see light.” — Psalm 36:9

Do I know Him? Really know Him?

Or, just know about Him?

Here is where I am with all this right now—

Not rejecting the tools, support, programs…But refusing to use them without Him.

What would it look like to bring God into everything? Not just praying before…but staying aware during.

Letting Him lead what I keep…

what I question…

what I release.

“In all your ways acknowledge Him…” — Proverbs 3:6

All your ways.

Not just the “spiritual” ones.

What if:

every supplement, every workout, every healing tool, every moment of care-

became an invitation?

Not just to improve…but to connect.

Because tools can support…

But they cannot replace presence.

And maybe that’s what “be still” really means. Not doing nothing. But refusing to move ahead without Him.

I don’t want pretend peace. I don’t want borrowed answers. I don’t want surface-level fixes that don’t hold.

I want what is real. Even if it takes longer. Even if it requires more honesty. Even if it asks more of me.

Because…There is a difference between what helps…and what holds.

And I don’t just want help.

I want Him.

I want the assurance that I am safe, because He is right there with me, and He knows EXACTLY what I need, when I need it, and I am learning to trust and lean on Him, in all the things, and sometimes-maybe most of the time, all I really need is HIM…I have a long way to go-to learn how to really apply this knowledge, but this week, all of this has burst forth front and center in my attention. Thank you for coming along with me!!