Spiritual Well Check

Today was Ava Beth's one year check up, almost two weeks late but we got it done! The nurse asked many questions pertaining to her development. "Does she say between one and three words? Does she nap well? Does she sleep well at night? How is her temperament? Does she stand alone? Is she on whole milk? How much milk does she drink each day?" With each answer I gave, the nurse smiled and said, "Great!" Then after the questions came to an end it was time for the measurements. They weighed my little girl and then checked her length and the size of her head. All were perfect! After that was finished the sweet nurse said, "She's right where she is supposed to be Mom. She's perfect!" Finally we were almost out of the stuffy exam room! We had just one more person to check her out for the one year well check, the nurse practioner. She listened to her heart, her breathing, felt of her belly, felt of her head, checked her ears and looked over her chart. "She's a perfect little angel, Mom." A sigh of relief to know my baby girl is growing, developing right on track and maybe in some areas a little more than the average. What can I say? She's tall!

With a brand new year ahead of us, wouldn't it be beneficial to have a spiritual well check? You sit down with your Pastor and he asks you a few questions and by the end of the session, you know how you are doing. I think it would go something like this. Here are a series of questions that I believe may reveal where you are at!

The Pastor says,
"How is your speech? What kind of words are coming out when you speak to your husband or when you talk in secret to someone else?
Do you sleep well or do you toss and turn due to stress and worry?
How is your overall mood? Do you have joy?
Do you still struggle with standing alone or are you relying on Jesus for your every need?
Are you feeding yourself on the Word or is it just filled with devotions and books? Are you truly in the WORD?
How often do you feed on the word? Daily, weekly, or just in a time of crisis?
Who do you spend time with?
Are you sharing Jesus with others?
Do you love God's people?
How are you doing at forgiving those who have hurt you?"

Then he listens to your heart. And with the sound of your heart, He knows if you are right where you need to be or if you need to catch up.

Today, I thought a lot about what the results of my well check would be. As I draw closer and closer to Jesus, I see the things that have to change in order to be more like Him. In fact, I believe I will be doing this for the rest of my life. How about you?

My report? "I am worthless, I will never change. I will never be set free of those things that hold me captive."

HIS report? "You are my child and I love you. Come just as you are. You are right where you need to be, walking next to me."