God Is Not Asking You to Keep Up
I can’t tell you how many women have said something like, “I should be further along than this.”
Somehow, many of us got this idea that our relationship with God has some kind of spiritual timeline we’re supposed to keep up with.
We assume we should be better at reading the Bible by now. Better at prayer. More consistent. More certain.
And when we’re not, we start feeling like we’re failing. Or maybe not failing exactly… but behind.
Friend, I just want to say this very clearly:
There’s no such thing as behind in your relationship with God.
Growth matters. But growth in relationship is very different than keeping pace with some imaginary spiritual timeline.
Jesus never said, “Hurry up.”
He never said, “Catch up.”
He said, “Walk with Me.”
And I think a lot of women are exhausted because they’ve been trying to keep up with some arbitrary measure instead of walking with Him.
Those are not the same thing.
Life Has Seasons. Real Ones.
Life has seasons.
There are seasons where you feel hungry and curious and excited to open your Bible. And there are seasons where everything feels dry and quiet and hard.
Seasons of grief. Being a new mom. Caregiving for elderly parents. Burnout. Depression. Chronic illness. Big transitions—even good ones.
And even in those seasons, many of us still feel pressure to maintain the same spiritual pace we’ve had in another season.
But that’s not how relationships work.
If your best friend walked through a devastating season, you wouldn’t say, “Well, you used to text me every morning, so I guess this friendship is over.”
Love understands seasons. And God does too.
Sometimes the most meaningful devotional seasons are the least impressive from the outside.
The whispered prayers.
The tears in the car.
Listening to worship music while folding laundry because your mind is too exhausted to study.
That still counts. And you are still His.
Returning Is Not Starting From Zero
Oh friend, I need this one deep in my bones.
Returning is not starting from zero.
If you reconnect with a friend after months apart, you don’t start the friendship from the beginning.
Yet we often picture God frustrated because we drifted. Or got distracted. Or walked through a dry season.
But that’s not the story Scripture tells.
Again and again, we see a God who restores. Who welcomes. Who moves toward people. Not One keeping score with a clipboard.
Rhythms matter.
Habits matter.
Intentionality matters.
But relationship isn’t built on maintaining a perfect attendance record.
When My Pace Changed
When Brandon and I were preparing to hike the Grand Canyon for our thirtieth anniversary, we trained hard. Spent hours every week hiking. Built endurance.
And then my knee said, “No thank you. Not gonna.”
Suddenly I couldn’t hike the same way anymore. There was so much grief in that.
I had a picture in my mind of what that season was supposed to look like. But eventually, I learned how to enjoy hiking differently.
Slower. With different expectations.
And God still met me there. The wonder was still there. The peace was still there.
The experience wasn’t gone just because the pace changed.
Our devotional life can be like that too.
Some seasons are mountain-climbing seasons. Some are slow-walking, barely-holding-on seasons. And some are simply sitting-on-the-porch-with-Jesus seasons.
But all of them can still bring relationship and connection with God.
Friend, there’s no need to apologize for the season you’re in. God isn’t asking you to keep up. He’s inviting you to walk with Him.
What I Hope You Remember
- There is no such thing as behind in your relationship with God.
- Life has seasons, and God understands that.
- The least impressive moments may still be deeply meaningful.
- Returning is not starting from zero.
- God is not asking you to catch up. He’s inviting you to walk with Him.
Try It This Week
Instead of trying to “catch up” spiritually, simply return.
No giant overhaul or impossible expectations. Just return.
Maybe that’s sitting outside for five quiet minutes or reading one verse slowly. Maybe it’s whispering a prayer on the drive to work.
Whatever it looks like, let it be simple. And let it count.
Not in a check-it-off-the-list kind of way, but in an “I’m drawing closer to God” kind of way. Because that’s the whole point anyway.
A Question to Sit With
Where have you been measuring your relationship with God by a timeline He never asked you to carry?
Continue the Conversation
If this resonated with you, here are a few ways to keep exploring:
🎧 Listen to the podcast episode
🌿 Join the Figs Community
Coming Up in This Series
- God Made You Uniquely
- Don’t Ignore the Tug
- Small Ways to Start
Hey there, friend,
If devotional life has felt harder than it should, I hope this encouraged you today.
Let’s cultivate a devotional life you love. Like really love. Because it is possible and it’s so much easier than you think.
Chat soon, friend.
~Rose
