As we continue our journey through the sunflower’s story, we have reached a season that feels quieter than some of the earlier stages. The sunflower is no longer just beginning to grow or stretching toward the light for the first time. It has matured, and now the invitation is to remain connected to the source that has sustained it all along.

There is something deeply meaningful to me about this stage because so much of life with Jesus is not built in the moments that feel extraordinary. We often remember the big moments – the retreat where something shifted, the Scripture that seemed to come alive at exactly the right time, the prayer that was answered in a way we could clearly see, or the season when we felt especially aware of His presence. Those moments are beautiful gifts from God, and I am incredibly grateful for them.

But when I look back over more than thirty years of walking with Jesus, I realize that much of the transformation in my life did not happen in those extraordinary moments. It happened in the ordinary ones.

It happened through thousands of mornings of opening His Word, even when I did not feel anything particularly significant. It happened through quiet prayers whispered in the middle of ordinary days and through bringing the same struggles back to Jesus again and again.

Over time, I learned that He was faithful even when my circumstances had not changed yet, and I began to see that some of the deepest roots of faith are formed through simple, consistent returning.

Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)

Pause and Reflect

I love the simplicity of that word continue.

Paul is not writing to people who are searching for their first encounter with Jesus. He is writing to people who have already received Him, and his invitation is not to chase after something new or dramatic. It is simply to continue living in the One they have already received, to remain rooted in Him, and to allow Him to keep building them up.

The longer I walk with Jesus, the more I recognize that spiritual formation is often much quieter than we expect. We sometimes look for the moment when everything changes, but most growth happens slowly, beneath the surface, in ways we cannot always see. A seed does not become a mature plant overnight. Roots deepen little by little. Strength develops through steady nourishment. What can look ordinary in the moment may actually be a life being formed over time.

That is what consistency begins to look like. We keep receiving. We keep returning.

We keep allowing God’s truth to become part of us.

His Word becomes nourishment for our souls, not simply something we read or understand intellectually, but truth we take in and allow to shape us over time. Much like our physical bodies are strengthened through the meals we eat throughout our lives, our souls are nourished through the steady receiving of God’s presence and His Word.

We may not notice the impact of every single morning with Jesus, just like we do not notice the effect of every meal we eat, but over time that nourishment changes us.

As I have looked back through old journals, I have often been amazed at the transformation I can see in hindsight. I could not always recognize what God was doing in the moment, but now I can see how He was patiently shaping my thoughts, renewing my mind, healing places in my heart, and teaching me to see myself and others through His eyes.

That kind of transformation did not happen because of one perfect quiet time or one powerful spiritual experience. It happened because I kept coming back.

The sunflower reminds us of this beautiful truth. It does not turn toward the sun once and then move on. It continues receiving light day after day, and that steady receiving is what allows it to grow strong and eventually produce fruit.

Maybe remaining with Jesus looks a little like that.

We do not have to constantly search for a deeper experience or prove that we are growing. We simply continue turning toward Him. We open His Word. We bring Him our honest thoughts and emotions. We receive His love and allow His Spirit to keep forming us from the inside out. Over time, what we continually receive begins to shape the way we live.

As you sit with Jesus today, consider where you can recognize the quiet transformation He has been doing in your life:

• Are there ways you respond differently now than you once did?
• What simple rhythms have helped you remain close to Jesus through different seasons?
• Is there an area where Jesus may be inviting you not to try harder, but simply to continue returning to Him?

Soul Care Practice: One Simple Rhythm

This week, consider one simple rhythm that helps you remain connected to Jesus. Not something that adds pressure or becomes another thing to accomplish, but simply something that creates space to return.

Maybe it is reading a short passage of Scripture each morning. Maybe it is sitting quietly with Jesus for a few minutes before your day begins, taking a prayer walk, writing a few sentences in a journal, or pausing in the middle of your day to ask, “Jesus, what do You want me to notice right now?”

The goal is not intensity. The goal is relationship.

Choose one simple practice and allow it to become a gentle rhythm of returning. If you miss a day, simply begin again.

Jesus is not waiting for you to get everything right before you come back to Him. He is always inviting you to remain.

One of the beautiful gifts of consistency is that it teaches us to trust what we cannot always see.

A sunflower does not grow stronger because of one day of sunlight. It grows because it continues receiving what gives it life. The same is true for us. Every time we turn toward Jesus, every time we receive His Word, and every time we bring our hearts honestly before Him, we are allowing Him to continue His work within us.

The quiet moments matter. The ordinary returns matter. The faithful rhythms matter, because the One we are returning to is faithful.

Jesus,

Thank You for inviting me to remain with You, not just in the moments when I feel especially close to You, but in every ordinary day.

Help me trust that You are working even when I cannot see immediate change. Teach me to value the quiet rhythms of receiving Your Word, spending time in Your presence, and returning to You again and again.

Release me from the pressure to create something extraordinary, and help me simply remain rooted in You. May the truth I receive from You continue to shape who I am becoming.

In Your precious name, Amen.

Until Next Monday…

What simple rhythm helps you keep returning to Jesus? I would love to hear what this looks like in your life. Pull up a chair and share in the comments or message me on my socials and let me know how I can be praying for you. See you next week!