CAYA — Come As You Are

For years, I thought spending time with God meant I needed to have a plan. I needed my Bible, my devotional, my journal, and some idea of what I was going to read or study that morning. And while all those things were good, I had somehow convinced myself that I needed to have everything ready before I could sit down with Him.

I was spending so much time preparing to spend time with God that sometimes I wasn't spending any time with Him at all.

And then one morning, during one of the lowest points of my life, something changed.

I went and sat in my chair, and I didn't have a devotional, a plan, or even the words to pray.

All I had were tears.

And in that moment, I heard Him:

Come as you are, Shanna. That's all I want.

I can't fully explain the peace I experienced that morning, but I knew something had changed in the way I understood my relationship with Him.

He wasn't waiting for me to arrive with everything prepared. He wanted me to come.

Just me.

And from that day forward, the pressure was gone.

I didn't stop reading my Bible, journaling, or spending time in devotionals. In fact, those things became easier because I no longer felt like I had to have everything figured out before I could come.

There was no pressure to have the perfect prayer, the perfect study, or even the perfect morning.

I could simply sit with Him.

And some mornings, I brought my Bible and journal. Other mornings, I brought questions, gratitude, or tears. But what changed was that I no longer allowed the absence of a plan to keep me from spending time with Him.

I began looking forward to those moments because I wasn't trying to complete something anymore.

I was spending time with Someone.

And that's what I want for you through CAYA — Come As You Are.

In Matthew 11:28–30, Jesus invites those who are weary and burdened to come to Him and receive rest.

What I love about that invitation is the order. He doesn't tell us to find rest before we come.

He invites us to come, and then He offers rest. CAYA is built around four simple movements:

COME — Turn toward Him exactly as you are.

SIT — Release the pressure to perform.

RECEIVE — Make room for what He wants to give you.

REMAIN — Allow yourself to stay with Him rather than rushing away.

These aren't four things you must accomplish to have meaningful time with God. They're gentle invitations to experience the relationship He's offering.

And I want you to understand something I've learned along the way.

Coming as you are doesn't mean you have to stay as you are. Spending time with God allows Him to work in us, teach us, and transform us.

But you don't have to transform yourself before you're welcome.

You don't have to manufacture the condition required to come to Him.

Your condition is the reason He's telling you to come.

CAYA — Come As You Are is an upcoming devotional in the T | W | G — Time With God collection.

Through personal reflections, Scripture, and quiet moments of invitation, CAYA encourages you to approach God without the pressure of having everything figured out.

It's not another checklist to complete or another standard to measure yourself against.

It's an invitation to spend time with Him.

Come as you are.