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… but so often we feel disconnected from God. Do you ever feel spiritually dry? Like you don’t know what God really wants from you?

Sometimes we get so overwhelmed doing all the “right things,” but we feel stuck, unsatisfied, and like our life is anything but abundant.

Don’t worry, friend. You’re not alone.

A few years ago I was working part-time in a corporate job. I’d been married for about 10 years, and had two toddlers running around. We were active in our church – REALLY active. We had a nice house in the suburbs of Charlotte, complete with a picket fence and two dogs.

By all accounts, I should have been happy. But I wasn’t.

I remember I would get my girls off to preschool, sit down at my desk, and just stare out the window, wondering if this is all life had to offer. Add to that the guilt for even thinking that way! I “should” be happy. I had what the world – and even the church – told me I needed to be happy. The American Dream was my daily reality. So was the dream of the American church. Sunday school teacher? Me. At church three times a week? Me. Singing in the choir? Also me. But I was so spiritually dry. So depressed. So stuck in the same old sinful patterns, wanting to do what God wanted but feeling like I’d clearly missed the boat.

In no time, I found myself trying to fill a void only Jesus could fill through an emotional affair. I was seeking my personal happiness over Him. I wondered where I had gone wrong, but it was right in front of my face.

My sin was uncovered, and through the grace of Jesus I repented and did the hard work of saving my marriage. More than that, I threw myself at Jesus, needing Him to fix my desperate heart.

And there, in that mess, is where God met me.

Sure, I was already a Christian, but I hadn’t learned what it looked like to have an abiding relationship with Christ. I didn’t know the abundant life was even really available, let alone what it was actually like. I began a journey, desperately seeking Jesus for the answers.

I sought the answers, but He Himself was the answer.

These days, not much has changed about my external life. My husband and I have been married 21 years. My toddlers have turned into teenagers, and we adopted our son 5 years ago. I’ve gone full-time with that same job. We live in the same house and have the same cars.

My life doesn’t look much different, and yet, everything has changed.

My life is now what Psalm 1 describes. I feel like that tree, planted besides streams of water, fruitful and prosperous. See, I’ve found a secret. The secret is Him.

I was studying John 15 last year and as I heard Jesus’ words about abiding, I realized that everything God taught me over the last 10 years are hidden there in His words. When lived out, they were the secret to my abundant life. And I want to share them with you.

Join me on the journey through John 15 as we go through RICH: Discovering God’s Abundance In and Through Your Life.

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