Kindly, Kayla 🌼

Lately I’ve been trying to figure out ways to spend more time with God. 

Because when the year began, I was in a slump and had an issue with picking up my Bible. So I told myself that if I found the “right” Bible, I’d be more inclined to open it. 

So here began my search of finding the perfect Bible for me. I watched YouTube video reviews, scrolled endlessly through Amazon reviews, purchased a billion, (but then returned them once I realized that it wasn’t the right fit.)

After weeks of searching, I finally found the perfect Bible! It was in my favorite version, and it had the prettiest cover, cherry blossoms! I went to Hobby Lobby and bought so many stickers to decorate the inside and the dedication page.  I even bought more sticky notes (because the ones I already have don’t “match”).

The Bible arrived. I decorated it, it’s literally some of my best work. I mean it looks amazing lol. 

But guess what.

I still wasn’t picking it up.

Then, the other night, something hit me.

Why am I so concerned about what my Bible looks like instead of what it says? I’m always watching these Bible journaling videos, trying to figure out the best supplies, only to realize I’m not as talented in the art department as I thought. I’m constantly rewriting things because my handwriting doesn’t look as good as the girl’s in the video I saw. I even bought erasable highlighters because I hate when the line isn’t straight or when I go too far over. Sounds like perfectionism to me.

Suddenly I began to feel overwhelmed with all the journaling and creative supplies that I’ve accumulated over the years. So I decided to do a clean out. 

I dumped everything into a target bag to donate. Kept a few highlighters, pens, a couple of sticky notes, and picked one Bible, with no journaling space, so that I can focus on the Word only.

It’s time to go back to the basics.

Just me and the Word of God.

Y’all, I am so tired of appearing as if I have it all together. I don’t have it all together. Yes, there are seasons in my life where I’m picking up the Bible daily. I’ll spend hours reading and digging deep with commentary to deepen my understanding. But some days I don’t even want to pick up the Bible. Some days, I wake up without even glancing at it and begin my day by picking up my phone. But one thing I do have is the desire to know God and make Him known.

I’m not saying Bible journaling is wrong. I’m saying that I need to stop caring about appearances and actually live it out. Even if it means that I walk around with a Bible that’s not one of the popular ones. Even if it means that it doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing. The important part it will be used, read, and studied. 

There’s this song by Jonathan McReynolds called “Basics”, and the lyrics really resonate with me. 

[Verse 1]

I’ve seen miracles

And good shouts 

And people leave with no doubts

Man, they different when they step out

I’ve seen legs healed and arms stretched

Men’s hearts refreshed

Lost girls leave kept

And after years witnessing all that

Who would think I could lose contact with You?

So what do you do when it gets like that?

You strip it down and rebuild it back with truth.

[Chorus]

So I can’t believе that I’m back to the basics

Climbin’ out of the trees, gettin’ back to thе root 

No, I can’t believe that I’m back to the basics

Jumpin’ down from the clouds, gettin’ grounded in You.

Wow. This is so spot on.  I’m going back to the basics. Stripping it down, removing hindrances, and rebuilding back with Truth. To truly know Him, not to have the “it girl Christian Bible” with all the tabs, highlights, sticky notes, stickers, and more.

So here begins my journey of knowing God without all the fluff. 

I decided to share this just in case any of you feel similarly to me. Sometimes we need to be reminded of what it’s all about. Because at the end of the day, we could do all the things that look right and still not know Him. I don’t want to be in that number. I thank God for His grace and His patience with me in realizing this. 

I thank you for reading.

Kindly,

Kayla ♡