“Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.”   -Jim Collins

 

What a powerful quote. And I know this to be true in my own experience. I try to hold on and do everything. I don't want to let go of good things that are valuable and serving people. But sometimes have to let go of good in order to open our hands to receive the new thing God is calling us to.

 

Last week, I shared with you the difficult decision to quit something good, something I love, in order to make room for something great. If you haven't already listened to that episode, you can HERE.

 

*SPOILER ALERT...I have been invited by God to launch a new podcast and I've said yes to that new thing...which means I am bringing this show to an end.

 

When I first started to sense this I came up with every reason in the world why I should keep the WMU podcast going and just do both projects. And in today's episode I share with you the fears, lies, and limiting beliefs that I've been wresting with because I believe when it comes time for YOU to surrender something good to God, you will come up with all sorts of reasons why you can't.

 

Some of My Reasons

 

There were Good things happening…

 

• I have a wonderful growing community who downloads and listens to the podcast week after week.
• I’ve received emails, texts, DM’s on FB and Instagram sharing how particular episodes have encouraged and helped you.

 

 

Fears, Lies, Limiting Beliefs

• Will stopping hurt my credibility?
• What if people who are listening to this podcast don’t switch over to the new one?
• You’ll be seen as not committed.
•  This could hurt your reputation.
•  People may no longer turn to you for support.
•  You’ll disappoint people.

More thoughts...

• You have people that would still listen to this podcast.
• What if you miss out on an opportunity because you stop?
• You could still put out good content. It’s not that hard.
• This is still good.

 

And more thoughts...

Just do both. Do both. In fact, if you do both, imagine what people will think! They’ll be amazed at how much you can do! Look at how much value you could give to people. You could double your impact! You could give more support. Just do both. They both can be good.

 

It’s hard to surrender things to God…the roles, responsibilities, the hopes, the outcomes, our thinking, what makes sense to us…surrender is hard because we have to give up our illusion of control. We almost feel weak for doing it. But that’s when God’s strength shines brightest.

 

When we are willing to give up our relevancy, our perceived value, our title, our credentials, (our current podcast), even our past…and as the apostle Paul says, look forward to what lies ahead…pressing on to reach the end of the race we will experience the joy of our faith and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us. 

 

Make sure to listen to the entire episode and join me next week (and beyond) into something new!
 

 

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that the good can become the enemy of the best and I have found that to be true. Maybe you have too. I find it especially to be true as God is inviting me to something new.

Sometimes I find that in order for me to take a hold of something new, I need to let go of another thing. And that’s hard. I want to be able to do it all. But I have learned over the years that when I try and do more I become less…

I become less like Jesus…less patient, less wise, less compassionate, less loving. I spend less time with God and more time doing. I become less effective and more stressed and strained by the demands and expectations.  

 

Sometimes we have to choose to stop the good so we can take hold of what is better.

 

This is where I find myself today.

 

In this episode I share with you a decision I've made to give up what's good and it impacts you, the listeners of the Women in Ministry United Podcast.

 

Do you keep track of the things God is saying and revealing to you? What verses of scripture just keep coming up? What words, phrases, or concepts rise to the surface? What dreams has He planted? What types of invitations has He given to you?

 

Finding a way to record our spiritual insights helps us grow in intimacy with Jesus. But our growth doesn't stop there. Sharing our insights with others helps us grow in community and is a way that God often speaks to others. 

 

My pastor always said, "God comes to people through people." How many times has someone shared what God is teaching them and you've thought to yourself...I've been thinking of that same thing! That is a common way that God works and speaks!

 

In today's episode of the podcast, I am sharing spiritual insights that God has been teaching me over the last year. You may find that God speaks directly to you through what He is teaching me.

 

Here's a brief list of what I share:

• I reap what I sow. If I don't like what I'm reaping, I need to change what I'm sowing.
• I've viewing God through my problems and circumstances rather than viewing my problems and circumstances through the lens of God and His power.
• I've been disappointed with God and that's ok. He welcomes the honesty and the wrestling.
• I've been invited to do life and ministry with Him one day at a time. (This is an invitation that God gave me several years ago but I've struggled. I want live fully into each day and not worry about tomorrow.)
• Honor God in all things. "Whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Colossians 3:17)
• Don't despise the small beginnings. (Zechariah 4:10)
• Fix your thoughts on what really matters...things of eternal significance.
• Pay attention to the condition of the soil of your heart to receive the seeds God is giving. We can't control the what seeds He gives, when He gives them, or how He makes them grow...but we are responsible for the condition of our hearts so that when He does plant and water them, it's into a healthy heart and soul.
• Love myself the way God loves me. Be careful and pay attention to what I tell myself. Talk to myself the way God would talk to me.

At all times God is with us and for us! He is good. His love never ends.

What resonates with you? I'd love for you to let me know as we encourage one another. (You can drop me a note HERE.)

No matter what time of year it is, it is important to remember what has God been teaching you. This not only helps you grow in your relationship with Him but as you share what He is saying and doing, it helps others grow too.

 

(Do you have a way to keep track of the spiritual insights He is giving you? You could make a quick list, create a prayer journal, even highlight the verse and put the date next to it with a short thought. There are many ways to hold on to the treasure He gives!)

In today’s show I am interviewing my friend Jill McCormick as we talk about grace for the try-hard girl, especially when we sense we are in a season of change.

 

Anyone feel like a try-hard girl? You know, the one who loves Jesus and her people so she tries hard to get it all done, to not disappoint, to do everything well, to always be there, to help fix the problems and right the wrongs? That try-hard girl lives in me and I don’t know about you but the idea of living in the freedom of God’s grace is something I desperately need. And I believe you will find so many things you can personally relate to and take away from my conversation with Jill that will fill your soul with grace.

 

Some Things We Covered

• Who is the try-hard girl?
• Understanding how we can extend grace to ourselves.
• Accepting we are human beings, not productivity machines.
• Why it is so hard to admit that something needs to change?
• Ideas about how to create space to be with Jesus in the midst of the chaos.
• How false beliefs and a distortion of the truth of who God is and what He says has reinforced the "try-harder" within us.
• The biggest shift to be aware of as we become a little less of the try-hard girl.

 

Resources

• Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund
• The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan

Steffany Gretzinger’s song, “Come out of Hiding” and Pete Scazzero's books, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality & Emotionally Healthy Leader.

  About Jill McCormick

Jill McCormick is the host of the Grace In Real Life podcast and the writer behind jillemccormick.com, spaces where she shares common-sense grace with the try-hard girl who wants her faith to intersect with her real and full life. 

Jill lives in South Texas with her high-school-sweetheart-now-husband Ryan, their two daughters, and one Vizsla puppy. Most days you’ll find her with a book about the Enneagram in her hand or a podcast playing in her earbuds. 

She’s been featured in RELEVANT magazine, Joyful Life magazine, ForEveryMom.com, and the Christian Woman Leadership Podcast. She’s also a co-author of the book, Sister, Walk in Truth. 

In her free time, she edits words for others through Emerald Editing + Copywriting, and is the Communications Director for her church.

Connect with Jill Website  GraceInRealLifePodcast.com  Instagram  Subscribe to Jill’s weekly “the good + the grace” email   Connect with Jen Facebook Instagram

Are you running from one thing to the next? Has the pace of life and ministry become unsustainable?  It is so easy to constantly be on the go, to always be "on" and available and many pastors and ministry leaders are feeling the impact. Maybe you do too. Maybe you know that you are running yourself into the ground. You are keenly aware that you can’t keep it up much longer. It’s not a question of loving God or even loving what you do...it’s a matter of the relentless pace in which you are doing it.

You can be unrelenting in your love for Jesus, your commitment to sharing the gospel and serving your ministry organization without a relentless pace.

 

You probably know that deep inside. You know that you were not meant to go like the energizer bunny. You were not designed to keep your foot on the gas and keep going no matter what. That’s what gets celebrated in our culture...it’s what is valued and praised...it is even what gets promoted in the church as a caring, Jesus-loving, committed leader.

But, you weren’t meant for constant activity and commitments, even good and Godly ones. So what do you do? How do you fix it? What’s the cure for an unsustainable pace? The answer is simple but not easy. 

If you want to solve the problem of an unsustainable pace, the solution is to have a sustainable one. That’s right...If you want a sustainable pace in ministry, you need to create a sustainable pace in ministry.

 

Now, if you’re like me you think, well, duh. That’s a no brainer, except, is it? For whatever reason we somehow just want the pace to slow down without doing anything differently.

  We desperately want the pace to change, but we aren’t willing to change the pace. 

 

In this episode I share a few key things to ask yourself as you prime the pump and get ready for changing the pace.

• What is your philosophy and theology of a sustainable pace to ministry?
• What is sustainable for you?
• What is God calling you to this season?
• What relationships matter most?

A sustainable pace to life and ministry is so important. It will make it more likely for you to continue as a healthy leader for the long haul, living out your calling in your particular context. It helps you be present both physically and emotionally to those around you and it is critical in order for us to become more and more like Jesus.

 

Let's not just talk about a sustainable pace, let's make it a reality!

 

Ready to take the next step?

Join me for the next Margin Maker workshop. This 4-week workshop will help you create the margin you need for a sustainable pace. CLICK HERE to get on the waitlist. You will receive an email in a few weeks when registration begins.

 

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Are you praying but God is silent? Are you listening but don’t hear a thing? Are you searching, seeking, leaning in and just can’t seem to find God at all? You are not alone. I’m right there with you. And in this episode I’m going to share with you some of the things I’m learning along the journey.

  

What is this place?

Sometimes this is referred to as what St. John of the Cross called the dark night of the soul, the place where beginners are being led to a place of growth and maturity. God is intentionally taking us from a sweet place in order for us to commune more deeply with Him. St. John of the Cross likens it to a mother who weans a nursing child intentionally so that they can feed on something more substantial.

 

As St. John of the Cross looked at this process (he was a Spanish mystic from the 1500’s, Carmelite monk, a follower of Teresa of Avila) he explained that it was necessary for the soul to go through a purging process in order that the person may be brought into what he called, Divine union of the soul with God. The dark night is an intentional process designed to reveal spiritual imperfections to cleanse us from the things deeply rooted in us that are taking the place of God. 

 

Pete Scazzero refers to this process as journeying through the wall. He also believes that this process is a necessary way that God grows us into mature Jesus followers. And as God brings us to the wall, a place where we are going through difficult things and we can’t seem to find Him, God is stripping us of all the things that keep us from Him.

 

Here's What I'm Learning

• I lack patience with myself to grow. 
• I lack patience with God and the ability to wait for Him and what He wants to bring, give, do, when He wants to do it.
• I pursue the sense, the feelings, feelings of spiritual things, rather than just God.

 

This hard season:

 

• Is exposing my limited and self-centered perspective. (Underneath the surface there is something that is self serving, self gratifying)
• Is revealing the things I’m holding on to or striving for or searching for that aren’t God. Even godly things can’t be a substitute for God himself.
• Comes from the love of God and His desire to grow us. He is preparing us for the day when Jesus comes again. God wants us to experience the joy of my salvation.  (Philippians 1)
• Is forming and shaping me so that I would develop Christ-like character and so that I would lack nothing.
• Is showing me that struggling and suffering are a part of our life with Christ. It’s necessary.
• Reminds me that God is doing something good in me. God knows what’s best for me.

Resources

• Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross
• Pete Scazzero: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, The Emotionally Healthy Church, The Emotionally Healthy Leader.
• Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Website full of courses, books, a great podcast and an emotionally healthy leadership live online event coming up in early December. You can check it all out HERE!!
•  The Ascent of Truth by Thomas Merton

 

When I started talking about feeling far from God a few weeks ago, I had no idea how much that would resonate with so many of you. You have shared that you too feel like you are unable to connect with God. You feel like He is distant.

 

It’s confusing, it’s frustrating, even disappointing...and it feels lonely.

 

There are many reasons why we experience a season feeling far from God. Last week in episode 114 we talked about being in a spiritual rut and some things we can do to connect with God in a meaningful way. If you haven't listened yet you can check it out HERE.

 

What should you do when you find yourself struggling to hear from God? 

 

There are many things that can keep us from hearing from God. Spiritual and emotional fatigue and exhaustion can play a factor. Busyness and constant work in ministry and other activities in life can impact our ability to hear. Our own sin and desires of the flesh, our worries, fears...they all can play a part.

 

While it is hard to give an exhaustive list or a quick step guide to hear from Him instantly, there are some questions we can ask ourselves to see the bigger picture and gain spiritual perspective.

If you feel like you are not hearing from God here are some things to consider.

 

Are you listening?

• Are you in the word...consistently? Have you forgotten your first love? Is your relationship with God put on the back burner as you attend to everyone and everything else?
• Do you say a bunch of stuff and then get up and move on. (I know I do!)
• Do you expect God to answer at that moment. Are you watching and listening throughout the day? 
• Are you distracted? What’s going on around you? What’s going on inside of you?

 

Are you in the right posture? 

• Are you receptive, expectant, hopeful? Are you convinced of His love, His control, His goodness, and His ability?
• Are you looking to glorify and honor God? Are you looking for something from God or are you looking for God? There is a difference.
• What is  your mind focused on? What are you meditating on? Truth? Are your thoughts set up against the truth of Christ?
• Have you slowed down? Have you created space and margin? God often shows up there!

 

Are you having the right conversation?

• Is this the conversation God wants to have with you? Perhaps there is something else that needs to be discussed before moving on to your concerns. It could be directly tied to helping you sort out what He’s saying about the particular situation on your mind or it could be entirely different.
• Is this what matters most? 

 

Are you limiting your perspective on how God wants to speak?

• Could God be talking to you in a different way? Are you only looking for Him to speak in one specific way or are you open to Him coming in an unexpected way?
• Is God speaking to you through people? Through your circumstances?

 

If you are feeling far from God and are struggling to hear God remember, this is normal. It is a normal part of our relationship with God. And it comes from a place of love. God uses this time as He does of all things, for your good... to bring you closer to Him...to trust Him, cling to Him, rely on Him and Him alone.

 

Your Next Step

If you are sensing that you need to attend to your soul and your relationship with God but not sure what your next step might be, let’s connect for a call over Zoom. You can sign up HERE and pick the time that works best for you!

 

O God, you are my God;

     I earnestly search for you.

My soul thirsts for you;

     My whole body longs for you

in this parched and weary land

     where there is no water.

 

Can you relate to these words written by David in Psalm 63?

Do you feel like you are searching for God? Maybe you can feel the dryness of your soul and you know it is impacting your life and leadership. Maybe you are worn out. The journey has depleted you, it’s made you tired and even though you search for God you can’t seem to connect with Him. He feels distant and you feel lost.

 

We all go through times when we feel less connected to God and there can be a variety of reasons for it. Maybe you feel stuck as you seek to grow in intimacy with God. Nothing you’re doing right now makes you feel like you are growing closer to Him. Maybe you are not able to hear Him because you are distracted or not stopping to listen. Or maybe you have hit what Pete Scazzero calls, "the wall" and you are in a deeper place of distress because of God’s silence and perceived absence. All of these things are a normal part of life with God and the good news is that when we find ourselves in these places, it is because God loves us and wants us to be even more intimately connected and dependent on Him. 

Today we are going to talk about being in a spiritual rut and I will share some tips that may help you. The reason why this is so important is that the state of our soul directly impacts our life and ministry. The condition of our soul affects every part of our life...all of it. And if we don’t attend to our inner life with God and try different ways to connect with God when we are feeling thirsty for Him, we could be setting ourselves up for depletion and burnout.

 

Our relationship with God is the strength that carries us through all of life and it is our relationship with God and His strength that allows us to serve in the place He has called us to. Our doing for Him comes directly out of our intimacy and meaningful connection with Him. Too many of us feel like David...parched, searching, weary, longing for God AND we don’t do anything different. We keep doing the same things expecting, hoping for a different result. While you can’t fix it (God is the fixer of things) you can explore with God and try some things to put you in a place that helps you be open to God and what He is doing.

 

If you feel dry, if you feel like you just aren’t able to connect, you may be in a spiritual rut. You may need to reposition yourself (maybe literally in a different place) and do some things with God a little differently.

 

Some of the thoughts I’m sharing are things that I rediscovered as I recently read a book by Gary Thomas called “Sacred Pathways: Nine Ways to Connect With God" and I wanted to make sure to acknowledge his work. 

 

Here are some tips to help you explore different ways that you can connect and love God. 

 

PRAY. God, I’m not connecting. I’m not feeling like I’m connecting. Help me. Take me beyond my feelings. Pray the words of Psalm 63.

 

Go back to your Gethsemane.  You may know the garden of Gethsemane as the scene of the agony and arrest of Jesus and therefore it is a place of great mental or spiritual suffering. That’s what I always think of when I hear Gethsemane. While this is true, there is something that Gary Thomas pointed out in his book Spiritual Pathways that I had missed. Jesus went out and made his way as usual to the Mount of Olives. (Luke 22:39)

John 18 says, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. Judas the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples. Jesus went back to a place that was familiar. It was a place that He had often visited. 

Do you have a place? Do you have a place you like to meet with God? Where is it? Where do you feel drawn to Him? Go back if you can and if you can't get to that particular place, go back to the type of place.

Discover how you connect with God in this season. God doesn’t change, His love doesn’t change, but how we connect with Him can and often does. We tend to narrow our approach from our past experience or what others tell us we should be doing. Consider your wonderful, unique design and imagine how that might help you connect with God. Explore what you and God can do together as you worship, pray, read the scripture, and listen.

 

Learn from others. This is another way to explore. Not because you want to copy someone else. Not because you are looking for the right way. But sometimes it’s helpful to get ideas. Again, our thinking is so narrow...we never even consider connecting with God in certain ways, it just hasn’t crossed our mind, it wasn’t on our radar. As we listen to others we can be inspired by God to lean in to Him in different ways. And we may find encouragement in hearing stories about how others have also found themselves in a dry and weary land.

 

Experiment. You are not going to know until you try. You may be surprised. You can’t fail. You will learn something about you and something about God.

 

Be a good steward of your life for the long haul. Spiritual replenishment, soul care, self care are all intertwined and absolutely necessary in order to develop Christ-like character and glorify God in whatever you. Too many people are not speaking up for themselves and creating the rhythms and boundaries necessary to do what God has called them to do for the long haul. Burnout is real. In fact, God wants to connect with you because you matter to Him apart from what you do!

 

Connect with Jen

If God is revealing to you that you need to attend to your soul and journey with Him to be a healthier leader but you just don’t know where to start, let’s connect. Let’s have a discovery call and figure out your next step. You can schedule one HERE.

 

Whatever you do, whether or not you want to hang out together, don’t keep doing the same thing hoping for a different result. Lean into God and what He is trying to do in you.

 

Do you feel far from God? Is it hard to hear Him? Do you struggle to see the ways He is working around you? When we feel far from God it plays a role in our soul health. And when we feel depleted, worried, even alone, it impacts the way we relate to God and others.

 

In this episode, I'm sharing a call that I recently had with a group of women taking the Margin Maker Workshop. We just completed the first session, "Getting Ready for Change" where we asked the question, "How's your soul?" In this conversation we talked about how we might be feeling and what assurances we can take with us on the journey to wholeness in our relationship with God and margin in life and ministry.

 

Scriptures Referenced

• Isaiah 53:6
• Psalm 25:8
• Psalm 23

 

If you'd like to join me for our next Margin Maker Workshop in a few months, you can get on the waitlist HERE. Or, if you're not quite sure what your next step should be but you know you need to make a change, let's have a discovery call. This is a free call that you can book with me HERE.

You are loved by God. Not because you are in ministry. Not because you said yes to leadership. Not because you are compassionate. It is not because of anything you have ever done or will ever do. It is because of who God is.

As the song Jireh, says: You have never been more loved than you are right now. God loved you and chose you because it gave Him great pleasure to do it!

Many of us struggle to anchor ourselves fully in the complete love of God. We worry about disappointing Him. We want to make Him so glad that He chose us. He does choose you and He would do it over and over again because He is love. And His love and acceptance has nothing to do with your ministry.

 

If you struggle with the idea that you are loved by God apart from ministry, this episode is for you.

Scriptures Referenced

Ephesians 1:4-5

Ephesians 2:1-6

Romans 5:8

Romans 7:22

Isaiah 30:15-18 (verse 18 in the Amplified Version)

Isaiah 43:4