When Your Bible Is Dusty… but Your Heart Isn’t - Episode 40

Let’s be real…

Have you ever looked at your Bible and thought,
 “Wow… we really don’t hang out like we used to…” 😅

But at the same time—you still love God.
 You still think about Him.
 You still talk to Him in random, real-life moments.

So what does that mean for your faith?

In this episode of Divine Shenanigans, we’re talking about those in-between seasons—the ones where your routine isn’t perfect, your consistency is a little messy, but your heart is still reaching for God.

We’re diving into:
 ✨ Letting go of guilt-driven faith
 ✨ What Scripture actually says about connection with God
 ✨ The truth behind inconsistency and spiritual growth
 ✨ The thief on the cross and what it teaches us about real faith
 ✨ How to reconnect with God without pressure
 ✨ Simple, practical ways to start showing up again

Because here’s the truth:

God isn’t asking for perfection.
 He’s responding to your heart.

💛 And don’t forget—stick around until the end of the episode for the full song:
 “Still Showing Up” by Brynn Elise
Now available on YouTube (Brynn Elise: Worship & Words) and streaming everywhere.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

It's designed to live. Only the lever with grace. It's sanctified clear. With print on the light. And truth in our heads. She's breaking down the bubble with laughter and a friend. It's divine. It's divine shenanigans.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

Hey y'all. Welcome back to Divine Shenanigans, where we are learning, laughing, and loving Jesus. One slightly chaotic caffeine field step at a time. I am so glad you're here today. Because today we're talking about something that might hit a little closer to home. When your Bible is dusty, but your heart isn't. You know what I mean. You love God, you think about him, you talk to him randomly throughout the day, usually in your car or while you're reheating coffee for the third time. But your Bible sitting on a shelf, like, wow, so we're not doing this anymore. And listen, before shame tries to walk into this conversation like it owns the place, we're not doing that today. This is a grace conversation. This is a real life conversation. This is a God is still working in you, even when your routine is messy conversation. So take a breath. You're in the right place. Alright, let me tell on myself for a second, as I do every single week, because there was a season where my Bible wasn't just dusty. It was basically a decorative item. Like it matched the aesthetic perfectly. It looked spiritual, it was giving faith influencer energy without the actual reading part. And here's the wild part. My heart wasn't far from God. I still felt him. I still talked to him. I still had those moments where something would hit my spirit and I'd be like, okay, that was definitely God. But the consistency, the discipline, the sitting down and actually opening the word, yeah, that part was struggling. And I remember thinking, am I doing this wrong? Am I drifting? Am I a bad Christian? And God, in his very loving, very, very patient way, basically said, or are you just human? Let's just be honest, there are seasons where you're mentally tired, you're emotionally overwhelmed, life feels loud, your schedule is chaos, and sitting down to read feels like one more thing you're failing at. And instead of running toward God, we quietly step back. Not because we don't love him, but because we feel like we're not doing it right. And y'all, you are not alone in this. Let me share a few real life type stories from our divine shenanigans community. One woman shared, I kept telling myself I'm going to start reading again, but then I missed a day, then a week, and then I feel too far gone to start. Another said, I love God so much, but every time I open my Bible, I don't even know where to start, so I just close it. And this next one, this one hit deep. I feel closer to God when I'm just talking to Him in my car than when I try to sit down and read. And that makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong. And if any of those felt like you, just know you're not broken, you're not failing, you're just in a season that needs grace, not pressure. Alright, so let's slow this down for a minute because this is where everything shifts. This is where we stop listening to our feelings and start anchoring ourselves in truth. Because feelings will tell you you're inconsistent, you're falling behind, you're not doing enough. But God's word, it tells a completely different story. Jeremiah twenty nine thirteen, you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Let's sit here for just a second because this verse does not say you will find me when your routine is perfect. You will find me when you read three chapters a day. You will find me when you finally get your life together. No, it says when you seek me with all your heart. That means you can be messy and still find him. You can be inconsistent and still find him. You can be in a season where you're barely holding it together and still find him. Because some of us have been measuring our relationship with God based on how often we show up, instead of how honestly we show up. And God is like I'm not looking for performance, I'm looking for your heart. Psalm thirty four eighteen. Now this one, this one changes everything. Because it tells us where God is, not where we think he is, but where he actually is. He's not just in perfect morning routines, highlight real quiet times, aesthetic Bible study setups. He's close to the brokenhearted. So if you've been feeling emotionally drained, spiritually tired, mentally overwhelmed, guess what? You're not far from God. You're actually in the exact place he draws near. And I think sometimes we avoid God in those moments, because we think we need to clean ourselves up first. Like let me get my life together and then I'll come back. But this verse says he comes close in the middle of it, not after. Romans 8 1. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Okay, we've got to talk about this one because this is where a lot of us get stuck. Condemnation sounds like you should be doing more. You're not disciplined enough. You're failing at this. Look at everyone else doing it better. And if we are not careful, we start thinking that voice is God. But this verse makes it very clear. That voice is not him. God convicts, yes, but conviction sounds like come closer. Let's try again. I'm still here. Condemnation pushes you away. Conviction draws you in. So if your spiritual life has been driven by guilt, no wonder you've been avoiding it, because who wants to run towards something that feels like pressure? Matthew eleven twenty eight. Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Now let's just be honest. Some of us are not avoiding God. We're avoiding what we think comes from him. We think more rules, more expectations, more pressure, more you should be doing better. But Jesus literally says Come to me and I will give you rest. Not come to me and I'll make you feel worse. Not come to me and I'll hand you a checklist. He says rest. So if your relationship with God feels exhausting, something got flipped somewhere, because his invitation is rest. Hebrews four sixteen let us approach God's throne of grace with confidence, not hesitation, not fear, not shame. Confidence. And I love this because it doesn't say approach when you've had a perfect week. It says approach anyway. Even if you haven't opened your Bible in weeks, even if your prayers have been inconsistent, even if your faith has felt a little shaky, you can still walk right up to God like, hey, it's me again. And he is not rolling his eyes. He's not disappointed. He's not keeping score. He is saying, I've been right here the whole time. So let me ask you something and really sit with this. Are you distant from God? Or are you just feeling distant because your routine changed? Because those two things are not the same. You can have a dusty Bible and still have a heart that's reaching for Him. And God, He responds to that every single time. Alright, now that we've grounded ourselves in truth, I want to take you into a moment in Scripture that completely shifts how we think about connection with God. Because sometimes we need to see it lived out to really understand it. We have the thief on the cross, Luke twenty nine, thirty nine to forty three. Let's step into this scene together. Jesus is on the cross, beaten, mocked, in pain. The crowd is loud, the atmosphere is heavy, and everything feels chaotic and final. And on either side of him are two criminals. Now one of them joins in with the crowd. He mocks Jesus. Are you really the Messiah? Then save yourself and us. But the other one, something shifts in him. And I want you to really pay attention to this, because this man did not have a spiritual routine. He didn't have a quiet time. He didn't have a Bible study plan. He didn't have time to get it together. He was at the very end of his life. And yet in that moment his heart turns, and he says, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. That's it. No fancy prayer, no long speech, no theological breakdown. Just remember me. And Jesus responds with this Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. Now hold on because if we are being honest, this kind of disrupts everything we've been taught about doing it right. This man didn't read scripture daily, build consistent habits, serve in ministry, have a transformation montage. He had a moment, a real, honest, heart level moment. And Jesus didn't say, okay, but first let's talk about your track record. No. He didn't say let's review your consistency. He didn't say you should have come to me sooner. He responded immediately, fully, completely. And here's what we need to understand. This story is not about lowering the value of Scripture. It's about revealing the heart of God. God is not waiting for you to catch up, clean up, fix your routine. He responds to genuine turning. And that word turning matters. Because that's what repentance actually is. Not perfection, not performance, but a shift of the heart. And if we bring this into real life, some of you listening right now, you're in your car, you're doing laundry, you're halfway paying attention and halfway thinking about what you forgot to do today. But something in this moment is pulling on your heart. That quiet nudge, that thought like maybe I should come back to this. That feeling like I miss being close to God. That's your moment. And it doesn't have to be dramatic. It doesn't have to be perfect. It can sound like God, I'm still here. And do you know what happens? He meets you there immediately. And if you think this is just a one-time example, it's not. Let's look at another moment. The prodigal son, Luke 15, 11 through 24. This son walked away from everything, took his inheritance, made a mess of his life, lost everything. And when he finally decided to come back, he didn't come back confidently. He came back thinking, maybe I can just be a servant. But what does the father do? He doesn't wait, he doesn't lecture, he doesn't make improve anything. He runs to him. And I love that detail because in that culture, men didn't run like that. But this father didn't care about dignity. He cared about connection. And some of you need to hear this. God is not slowly walking toward you with disappointment. He is running toward you with grace. So let me ask you this and really sit with it. Have you been waiting to get it together before coming back to God? Have you been thinking I'll start reading again when I can be consistent? I'll come back when I'm more disciplined. I'll reconnect when I'm doing better. But what if God is saying come back now? Not cleaned up, not figured out, not perfect, just present. Now listen, does that mean that Scripture doesn't matter? No. Scripture is life giving. Scripture is anchoring. Scripture is how we grow, learn, and understand God deeper. But God is not standing over you with a clipboard saying, Well you missed three days this week. Disqualified. That's not the vibe. So what do we do with this? How do we move forward without guilt? But also without staying stuck. We start small, like really small. Not I'm reading ten chapters a day starting tomorrow. No. Try one verse, one thought, one moment. Remove the pressure to perform. You're not reading to impress God, you're reading to connect with him. Let relationship lead routine. Talk to him first, sit with him, then open the word. Not out of obligation, but out of connection. Give yourself grace for messy consistency. Some days we'll be strong. Some days we'll be I read one sentence and I got distracted by snacks. Both count. Alright, you know we've got to bring in some holy homework, not heavy, not overwhelming, just real. I want you to think about this journaling prompt. Where am I feeling disconnected? And what would it look like to reconnect without pressure? I want you to read one verse a day this week. That's it, just one. And sit with it. Think about it. Talk to God about it. Think about this reflection question. Am I avoiding God or am I avoiding pressure? Because those are two very different things. Alright, now it's time for our song of the week. And this one, this one is not just a song. This one is a season. This one is a conversation between me and God. It's called Still Showing Up under my artist's name, Brynn Elise. Let me tell you how this one came to life, because this wasn't one of those songs where I sat down, like, all right, Lord, let's write something beautiful and inspiring today. No, no. This song came out of a season where I felt I was doing faith halfway. Like I wasn't walking away from God, but I wasn't exactly thriving either. I was praying, but distracted, thinking about God, but not always sitting with him. Wanting to be consistent, but struggling to follow through. And if I am being really honest, there were moments where I felt like, God, I'm not doing this right. And one night I remember sitting there, no music, no plan, no creative spark, just me and my thoughts. And I said something so simple. God, I'm still here. That was it. Not impressive, not polished, just honest. And I felt this overwhelming sense of peace, like God was saying, I know, and that matters. And that's where this song started. This song is for people who feel like they're inconsistent. They're a little all over the place. Their quiet time isn't picture perfect. Their faith doesn't look like everyone else's. This is for people who think I should be farther along by now. And what God was gently showing me is this. But you're still here, still trying, still coming back, still whispering prayers in the middle of your day. And that's what this song is about. Because I think a lot of us have believed the lie that if I'm not consistent, it doesn't count. But God is like, I see every single moment you turn toward me. Even if it's quick, even if it's messy, even if it's just God help me, that counts. That matters. That's connection. So as you listen to this song at the very end of the episode, I don't want you to analyze it. I don't want you critiquing your own faith. I just want you to sit in it. Let it remind you that you're not behind. You're not disqualified. You're not bad at faith. You're just human. And you're still showing up. And hey, this song is gonna play in full at the very end of the episode, so please stick around for it. And if it speaks to you, you can find it on my YouTube channel, Brittany Lease, Worship in Words, where all of my Christian music lives now. And it's also streaming everywhere under Brynny Lease. So go find it, add it to your playlist, play it on repeat. Of course, after this episode is over. Alright, so when we wrap up here in a few minutes, we're going to go straight into Still Showing Up. Wherever you are when it starts playing, I want you to take a breath, let your shoulders drop, and let the pressure go. And just be reminded, you don't have to be perfect to be close to God. You just have to keep showing up. Alright, before we close out today, I just want to give you a moment. Because I know something in this episode probably hit your heart a little differently. Maybe it will be a good one. Maybe it was a reminder that you're not behind. Maybe it was a release of guilt you didn't even realize you were carrying. Or maybe it was just that quiet nudge that says, Hey, you can come back right now. So wherever you are, if you're driving, just stay present. If you're at home, maybe take a deep breath. If you've got a million things going on, just pause for a second. You don't need perfect words for this moment. You don't need a perfect track record. You don't need to have everything figured out. You just need a willing heart. So let's take that together and bring it to God. Let's pray together. God, thank you for meeting us in the middle of our mess. Thank you that you are not distant when we feel inconsistent. Thank you that you don't measure us by perfection, but you meet us in our willingness. God, for the person listening right now, who feels like they've fallen behind, who feels like they're not doing enough, who feels a little disconnected, remind them that you are still right there, still present, still patient, still loving them exactly where they are. Help us release guilt and step into grace. Help us come back to you, not out of pressure, but out of relationship. And remind us that even when our Bible is dusty, you never walked away. We love you. In Jesus' name. Amen. Alright, my friend, if this episode spoke to you, if you felt seen, encouraged, or gently called back to connection, I'd love for you to stay connected with this community. Subscribe on YouTube for daily encouragement, devotionals, and real life faith moments. Join the free Divine Shenanigans School community. We've got our brand new Daily Shenanigans Bible study starting May 1st. And it's designed exactly for seasons like this. And don't forget to check out Subset for monthly newsletter, deeper reflections, and encouragement you can come back to anytime. And hey, as you go into this week, you don't have to be perfect. You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't need a flawless routine. Just keep showing up. Even if it's messy, even if it's small, even if it's just a whisper of a prayer. Because God is still meeting you there. God bless you, my friend. Be proud of how far you've come. And I'll see you right back here for more divine shenanigans. And now, this is still showing up by yours truly, Brittany Lees.

SPEAKER_00 25:21

Just on the cover right where I left it. I'm meant to read it, I'm meant to try. But days got heavy and time slipped by. I say a prayer that feels too small. Half a sentence, that's about all. But even here with the words that break, you hear everyone I say. I don't have it all together, but I'm not running anymore. I'm still showing up, even when it's messy, even when my faith feels a little bit empty. I'm still showing up with all that I've got. Even if it's barely anything at all. And you don't turn me away. You don't ask me to be enough. You just mean me right here. Cause I'm still showing up. I've skipped the quiet, I've rushed the truth that life get louder than following you. Something in me won't let go. The quiet pull that I still know. It's not perfection that brings me near. It's just a heart that's willing here. And even on my weakest days, you don't measure what I gave. You don't wait for me to fix it. You just open up the door. I'm still showing up, even when it's messy. Even when my face feels a little bit empty. I'm still showing up with all that I've got. Even if it's barely anything at all. You don't wanna turn me away. You don't wanna ask me to be enough. You just need to lie, I'm still showing up, nothing, not perfect, not everything I felt. You never need it more than open head. No pressure, no pretending, no version I have to prove. I'm still struggling up even when it's messy, even when my face feels a little bit empty. I'm still struggling up with all that I've got, even if it's barely anything at all. And you don't turn me away, you don't ask me to be enough, you just mean I hear Cause I'm still showing up just on the pages, but you're still here, and I'm still showing up.